Kidnapped girl managed to call police three times. They found her only after it was too late.
BUCHAREST – Romania’s interior minister resigned on Tuesday after the murders of two teenage girls triggered protests over authorities’ inadequate handling of the case.
George Dinca, 65, a mechanic from Caracal, has confessed to killing Alexandra Macesanu, 15, who was reported missing on July 24, and Luiza Melencu, 18, who was last seen in April.
While she was captive in Dinca’s home, Alexandra was able to call the European emergency number 112 three times. It took authorities 19 hours to trace her calls, locate the residence and secure search warrants — which, it turned out, were not necessary.
Prior to that, police also delayed registering a missing report filed by her parents.
When police finally entered the house, they found human remains. Though the bodies have not been formally identified, they are thought to be those of the two missing girls.
Inquiries have shown politicized public safety agencies to be under-funded, short-staffed and insufficiently trained.
“I have made the decision to resign to save part of the ministry’s prestige which has been strongly impacted by the deficient activity of some if its employees, who were either fired or are about to be sanctioned,” said Interior Minister Nicolae Moga, who was only appointed last week.
“In the six days that I have run the Interior Ministry I have ordered all possible inquiries to identify those responsible in the case of the Caracal tragedy. All these inquiries will continue,” added Moga.
Romania’s chief of police and several county officials have already been fired over the case.
Public anger has been mounting, with protests around several Romanian cities at the weekend.
On Monday, dozens of teenagers marched in Caracal carrying banners, including some that read: “Hello, 112, I’m Alexandra and I want to live.”
President Klaus Iohannis said an inquiry presented at a Supreme Defence Council meeting on Tuesday identified a series of “grave deficiencies.”
As well as the delays, child search-and-rescue protocols were not followed.
“It has been found that institutions in charge of public order and safety … failed, after a series of unacceptable errors to ensure the fundamental right of life,” he said.
Iohannis added he asked the Social Democrat government to create measures by the end of August to improve cooperation and rapid response systems for public safety institutions, including location-finding technology for 112 calls.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)