Moldovan criminal injures 7 in Budapest car crash

According to an earlier statement from the police, a Moldovan man previously convicted of human smuggling caused a severe car accident in Budapest, injuring a seven-member family, including children, before fleeing the scene. The crash occurred on 5 January in Budapest’s XXII district, where the man ran a red light and collided with the family’s vehicle. However, later, the Budapest police clarified that the driver responsible for the accident was not the Moldovan human smuggler previously released under Hungary’s emergency regulations. Instead, the culprit was his brother, a 27-year-old Moldovan identified as T.S., who bears a striking resemblance to his sibling. The two brothers reportedly used each other’s documents interchangeably, further complicating identification

Human smuggler convicted but released

Previously, it was reported that the driver, identified as Tiganciuc Calin, had a history of human smuggling, including transporting five Nepali migrants illegally through Hungary in March 2024, Blikk reports. He was sentenced to three years and ten months in prison and banned from Hungary for nearly eight years. However, despite being excluded from parole eligibility, he was released under special reintegration rules. This policy, introduced by the Hungarian government, mandates that convicted human smugglers leave the country within 72 hours of their release.

Later, during a press conference on Friday, Lieutenant Colonel Krisztián Léránt of the Budapest Police Traffic Enforcement Department confirmed the new details. T.S., who is now the subject of an arrest warrant, is also suspected of involvement in other crimes. However, due to the ongoing investigation, no further information was disclosed. The previously expelled brother was confirmed to have been in Moldova at the time of the accident and remains there currently.