Romanian police dismantle DIICOT‑led ring exploiting disabled and psychiatric patients

The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) launched large‑scale operations in Cluj (Kolozsvár) County and in four villages of Bihor County, targeting a criminal network that allegedly held hundreds of vulnerable individuals—people with disabilities and severe psychiatric conditions—in inhumane conditions. Victims were deprived of basic medical care, medication and state benefits.

Investigators say the group was founded in 2020 by a 55‑year‑old man and used a humanitarian charity as a front to siphon pensions, disability allowances, heating subsidies and burial benefits, causing losses estimated at more than 13 million lei. Police, gendarmerie, emergency responders, forensic doctors and psychologists conducted raids on 27 locations, rescued the victims and transferred them to accredited state care facilities.