GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the disappearance of a Romanian teenager in Dublin in January were last night questioning three people about the case.
Marioara Rostas (19) was last seen on Lombard Street East in Dublin city centre at 2pm on Sunday, January 6th. She was begging at the junction of Pearse Street.
A member of the Roma community, she was seen by her younger brother talking to a man in a car he described as a Silver Ford Mondeo, possibly with an 01 LH registration. The driver gave her younger brother money.
Ms Rostas then got into the car and has not been seen since. She got into the car voluntarily. It is believed she may have been taken to a location not far from where she was last seen. That location has been searched by gardaí.
Garda sources said because the she has been missing for so long without contacting her family, they feared for her safety. The missing teenager had only been in Ireland three weeks before she disappeared. Her family had been living here since October 2007 in Donabate, north Co Dublin.
The three people being held last night, a man aged 29 and two women aged 30 and 56, were arrested in Dublin 8 yesterday morning.
They were detained under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and were being questioned on suspicion of withholding information. They can be held for up to 72 hours without charge.
The three people arrested are Irish nationals. They are being held in Kevin Street, Harcourt Terrace and Pearse Street Garda stations in Dublin city centre.
Ms Rostas was last seen wearing blue jeans, white Adidas runners, a white hooded top, a pink scarf and a long black jacket.
Gardaí at Pearse Street are investigating. They can be contacted at (01) 666 9000.