Where, in fact, is hiding Abdullah Ataş – the millionaire who killed a policeman and escaped
More and more information is emerging regarding the escape of the Turkish citizen Abdullah Ataş from the Rahova penitentiary. He would have already crossed the border and may have remained in Bulgaria or crossed into Greece, states in the Schengen area, where he would wait for the situation to calm down.
Atas Abdullah – Prisoner convicted of murder, wanted after failing to return from permits
Abdullah Ataș, the Turkish businessman who killed the policeman Gheorghe Ionescu and who escaped from prison, had all the time at his disposal to find the necessary resources to flee the country, collecting over 20 permits. The investigators are now analyzing the possibility that the Turkish citizen was helped by members of his community in Romania, reports TVR.
Although he had already been approved for four days' leave for February—which would suggest some uncertainty about the success of his plan—the escape had, in reality, been thoroughly planned. According to experts in the system, he knew how to pose as a model inmate to get rewards, masking his true intentions.
“This criminal policeman tricked the management of the Rahova Penitentiary, he left 21 times and, behold, he did not return on the 22nd departure. I also discussed with the Administration of the Penitentiaries, and with the management of Rahova, and he had exemplary behavior in the penitentiary.” explained Cosmin Dorobanțu, president of the ANP Trade Union Federation for TVR.
All the persons with whom the prisoner met during the permits are now being checked, considering also the option in which the Attaché would have bought false documents. According to judicial sources, the Bulgarian police found a picture of him while he was in the neighboring country. Thus, the option that he has already crossed the border of Romania is taken into account, but it is not clear for now whether he has left the neighboring country or not.
“It does not appear in the records of the Bulgarian police that he left that country. Our colleagues who do the documentation are also dealing with the other moments when he was on leave. We need to clarify the people he met with, if he received support”, stated Bogdan Despescu, secretary of state in the MAI.
Convicted of aggravated murder after intentionally hitting a policeman
We remind you that Abdullah Atas, sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison for aggravated murder, is currently under national investigation after he did not return from a leave granted between January 23 and 26, 2026.
The millionaire was found guilty that on the night of August 2 to 3, 2015, he got behind the wheel drunk and hit a police officer who signaled him to stop.
The Ministry of Justice announced that it ordered an emergency control at the Bucharest-Rahova Penitentiary, after the businessman's escape.
