Search for young Romanian woman

A garda search was continuing last night for Ms Anka Nova Kovici, a Romanian woman who went missing from her home in Walkinstown…

A garda search was continuing last night for Ms Anka Nova Kovici, a Romanian woman who went missing from her home in Walkinstown, Dublin, in the early hours of Monday morning.

A Garda spokeswoman confirmed that the 18-year-old woman had been sighted at the Harbour View Hotel in Naas, Co Kildare, on Monday. She said that Ms Kovici had been identified on the hotel's closed-circuit television. The spokeswoman said the film showed that Ms Kovici was in the company of a man and appeared to be in good spirits.

Gardai contacted Ms Kovici's family after positively identifying her from the film. However, the young woman had left the hotel when gardai arrived. Her family said last night that they had not been contacted by her since her disappearance.

On Monday, the family reported that Ms Kovici had been abducted from their home just after midnight on Sunday. They said that three men called to their house on Hughes Road North in a black van. Two of the men were wearing balaclavas and entered the house wielding knives.

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Last night, the Garda spokeswoman said gardai were still searching for Ms Kovici. Speaking outside the family home, Ms Kovici's brother, Slato, said that he did not know where his sister was.

Alison Healy

Alison Healy

Alison Healy is a contributor to The Irish Times