Project Medusa: Hungarian suspect identified in international sexual violence network investigation
A Hungarian user has been identified in the Project Medusa operation targeting a criminal network specialising in the rape of women. Police seized electronic devices and data storage devices at the suspect's residence.
Hungarian suspect in Project Medusa international operation
The National Police Headquarters (ORFK) confirmed to HVG that a Hungarian user was identified as part of an international law enforcement operation aimed at dismantling an online criminal network. Network members committed sexual violence against their partners using drugs and maintained contact with one another online.
The operation codenamed Project Medusa began in April 2026. Since then, 274 new leads have been identified across 113 investigations, four misogynistic online communities have been exposed, and 57 individuals have been arrested. The operation is coordinated by Germany and the United Kingdom; cross-border investigations involve the United States, Brazil, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Hungary.
According to the ORFK statement, following identification of the Hungarian user, an investigation was ordered on suspicion of sexual violence. A search was conducted at the suspect's residence, during which electronic devices and data storage devices were seized. Analysis of the content found on these devices is currently ongoing.
The case is reminiscent of similar European precedents. In late 2024, a court found Dominique Pelicot guilty; he had incapacitated his wife for nearly a decade and then invited strangers to their home to rape the unconscious woman — the judgement also involved multiple other defendants. Just over a year later, a German man was held responsible for recording sexual abuse of his incapacitated wife and sharing the recordings. Around the same time, a British local councillor was arrested on suspicion of incapacitating and raping his ex-wife over several years, and he too had accomplices.
Source: HVG