Europe’s Most Wanted Rapist Dmitri Ceban Arrested by Gardai After Three-Year Manhunt

Europe’s Most Wanted Rapist Dmitri Ceban Captured by Gardai After Three-Year Manhunt**ne of Europe’s most wanted rapists, Dmitri Ceban, 31, has been apprehended by Gardai, according to reports from the Irish Sun.

Ceban, who has been on the run since 2021, failed to appear at Isleworth Crown Court in the UK on May 12, 2021, where he was set to be sentenced for his involvement in the brutal gang rape of a teenage girl in Ealing, UK, in August 2017.

Dmitri Ceban, Andrei Rotaru, Alexandru Cimbir, and Octavian Lupu received a total of 71 years in 2021 for the brutal rape of a teen in 2017

Ceban was part of a four-person gang that received a combined total of 71 years in prison in 2021 for subjecting their victim to a “prolonged and repeated” attack. After missing his court date, Ceban was sentenced to 16 years in absentia for the heinous crime and was placed on Interpol’s most wanted list as he moved between various European countries.

Investigators believe Ceban relocated to Ireland earlier this year and settled in County Kildare. His hidden life came to light when officers from the Dundalk Roads Policing Unit stopped him for speeding on the M1 motorway.

Upon being pulled over, Ceban appeared nervous, prompting Gardai to check his identity. They quickly connected him to the gang rape case and confirmed Interpol wanted him. As a convicted sex offender, he was arrested on suspicion of failing to notify Gardai of his whereabouts. He will be held in Ireland while UK authorities pursue extradition to serve his sentence.

Dmitri Ceban was caught hiding in Ireland after being stopped on the M1 motorwayCredit: Met Police Handout.

A source commented, “This man has been a fugitive for three years and is now thankfully in custody. He has always been on the move, and he has been caught only because of his stupidity.”

The source added that Ceban was speeding when he was stopped, and his arrest resulted from diligent police work. Another source revealed that Ceban had been living and working in Ireland under his real name, managing to secure a job in a factory without anyone realising his true identity.

Detective Constable Angie Meadows remarked on the severity of the case, stating it was “one of the worst assaults” she had ever investigated. Ceban, along with accomplices Octavian Lupu, 34, Andrei Rotaru, 28, and Alexandru Cimbir, 43, met the victim at a nightclub. After leaving with Lupu, she was forcibly taken to a property where all four men raped her over a 90-minute ordeal before being brought to a hospital. Despite denying the attack, all four were eventually found guilty.

Sola Adeniji

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