Teenage angst that led to girl’s disappearance

When Hungarian teenager Agnes Revesz went missing last month halfway through another police search for a 17-year-old Russian, most people suspected human trafficking.

But Ms Revesz’s disappearance was the result of teenage angst and the unattainable desire to live a carefree life, according to her uncle, Christian Farago, who opened up to The Times about his family’s ordeal.

Unlike Polina Rahman, the Russian girl who was found dead after sustaining a head injury from a fall, Ms Revesz, 18, was luckily tracked down alive and returned to her St Paul’s Bay home, where she was living with her aunt and uncle.

“Honestly, there is no explanation. It was absolutely pointless.

“She just thought she could leave and not have to do anything... live a life without responsibilities. But that cannot happen,” Mr Farago said.

He expressed regret that the ordeal caused Malta to be portrayed as a hub of human trafficking, particularly in the Hungarian TV media.

This was also raised by Hungarian reader Zsolt Tuske, who wrote to The Times seeking the real reason behind the girl’s disappearance, saying the Hungarian community was still in shock over the incident.

“The Hungarian media gave wide coverage to the story and depicted Malta as a hotbed of kidnapping and human trafficking.

“As a result, many of my friends decided not to send their teenage daughters to Malta to study English,” he said.

But Mr Farago stressed that his family never contacted the press in Hungary.

“I want people to know that the press found out about the story through their own sources. We never spoke to anybody.

“We just contacted the police but we never gave interviews or asked anyone for help.”

He said the “big problem” was that his niece went missing only a few days after Ms Rahman, prompting people to believe the disappearances were linked to something sinister.

“Everyone thought something happened to her,” said Mr Farago, adding that Ms Revesz was now back at home trying to get to grips with normal, teenage responsibilities.

“We never asked for anything from her, just small things like to be home on time or to let us know where she is.

“That is all. Nothing else. And it’s the same now.

“We’re not asking for much, just for her to stand on her own feet,” he said.

“When you live with other people, you have some responsibilities. You just cannot do certain things. She didn’t want to do anything. That was the point.

“But then it all collapsed and she is now back with us.”

A magisterial inquiry into the death of Ms Rahman is still underway.