Murder of Japanese girl after Bucharest airport pickup raises concern over cab service security

The recent murder of a Japanese student in Romania started a debate about the taxi service at the main Bucharest airport and the security of passengers. Travel and tourism associations say the airport should ensure the security of passengers and prevent them from being tricked by either cab drivers working there illegally, or people who pretend to help them find a cab.

The 20-year old Japanese girl, who arrived in Bucharest on August 15, was helped by a 26-year old Romanian to find a cab. They rode the cab together but soon they got out in a forested area, while the cab drove back to the airport. Two days after, the girl was found dead in the woods near Corbeanca, very close to the national road. She had been raped and murdered by Nicolae Vlad, the 26-year old who helped her find a cab at the airport, according to prosecutors. The man, who is now in Police custody, had killed ten days prior to this in a similar way, and is now also being accused of stealing from and raping four other women since 2011. He is also a suspect for killing two other women, in older Police files. He was recently caught after he sold the camera and mobile phone of the Japanese girl he had murdered. The main Bucharest airport Otopeni is known for hosting both the authorized cab companies, and some dodgy cab drivers who aggressively try to pick up customers who have just landed in the country, and who usually try to trick them on the trip fare. The Bucharst Otopeni Airport is yet to make an official statement on the issue. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Bucharest Otopeni Airport)