Girl Kidnapped by Roma in Greece Could Be Bulgarian

Maria is now under the care of the charity "Children Smile" and is reported to be good health. Photo Standard News

The Greek authorities have requested assistance from Interpol to find the parents of a blond girl with green eyes found in a Roma family.

They have also sent DNA samples of little Maria to search for a possible match in the list of missing children.

In response to the Saturday request for assistance, the authorities in Greece have received over 5 000 calls from people looking for a missing child, or providing information.

Maria is now under the care of the charity "Children Smile" and is reported to be good health.

The child only speaks a few words of Roma dialect and Greek. The police suggested that the girl is from a northern or eastern European country - from Scandinavia or from Bulgaria.

Greek authorities have joined effort with other international organizations and charitable groups that deal with lost or abducted children.

A 40-year old woman and 39 -year-old man have been arrested and charged with kidnapping, and police are investigating whether the child is a victim of human trafficking. She was discovered during a routine check of a Roma camp and DNA tests revealed that the couple with whom Maria lived was not her biological parents.

During the interrogation, the Roma couple has given at least five conflicting answers as to why Maria lived with them, including that the child was found at the supermarket.

Greek and Bulgarian media write Sunday that the child been subjected to violence, according to psychologists, because she was very aggressive.

It is also reported that Maria has been forced to beg on the street.

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