Drowned man resurfaces in Hungary

Hungarian police have reportedly detained a man in the Czech Republic who is suspected of fraud. The Hungarian man’s wife reported him dead in 2001.

The case is very similar to a recent case in Britain in which a man resurfaced after disappearing five years earlier on a canoe trip.

According to the Hungarian woman, her husband drowned in Greece while windsurfing during their holiday. As his body was never recovered, it wasn’t until 2003 that the courts legally declared him dead.

The Hungarian man was the holder of several insurance policies at the time of his supposed “death”. According to a statement made by the Hungarian police, in total, the policies were worth $1.15 million, not including additional coverage provided by the man’s travel insurance.

The man was caught last year by Czech police who transferred him to Hungary.

According to the man, he was helped ashore by a friend after faking a windsurfing accident. The friend provided him with clothing and fake documents. The man traveled to Crete, Italy and then on to the Czech Republic.

According to the police, the man’s wife has not yet cashed in the insurance policies. The woman is being questioned as an accomplice, however, and is being considered for a charge of polyandry. According to the police, the woman remarried with the full knowledge of her husband’s whereabouts. 



Yasmin Purnell Editorial



27/03/08