Serious fraud

Styrian rental cars used for towing trips

Four men are said to have used three rental cars from Styria for smuggling activities.

(Bild: ©Jürgen Fälchle - stock.adobe.com)

Four men rented three vehicles in Wagna, but never returned them. They are suspected of having used these cars for smuggling trips. The suspects were arrested in Hungary and Romania and extradited to Austria. 

At the end of July 2022, four Romanian nationals (two aged 22 and two aged 23 and 24) rented three vehicles from a car rental company in the Leibnitz district. They did not return the cars after the rental period had expired and all attempts to contact the managing director of the rental car company were unsuccessful. He then filed a complaint, as the damage was in the mid five-figure range. 

The public prosecutor's office in Graz ordered the arrest of the four men. Two of the suspects, the two 22-year-old men, were located and arrested in Romania after intensive investigations. The two are alleged to have smuggled migrants to Austria. They were extradited to Austria in October 2022, but neither of them confessed and were sent to Graz-Jakomini prison. 

Arrested during a smuggling trip 
The other two suspects were arrested in Hungary in September 2022 during a migrant smuggling trip. On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, they were finally extradited to Austria after serving their sentences in Hungary. During their interrogation, they were just as unconfessional as their accomplices. According to the police, one of the three vehicles was recovered, but there is no trace of the other two so far.