On February 3rd, 2026, the Bulgarian representation of Mercedes-Benz informed the Ministry of Interior (MVR) of the location of the camper van belonging to Ivaylo Kalushev, who was the subject of a search, according to information obtained by BulNews agency.
This disclosure came one day after the bodies of Ivaylo Ivanov, 49, Decho Vasilev, 45, and Plamen Statev, 51, were discovered at the Petrohan hut on February 2nd. Initial questioning of Deyan Iliev, known as “Mexikanetsa,” revealed that Kalushev’s camper van was missing, having departed on Sunday with Nikolai Zlatkov and Alexander Makulev.
Following this information, investigators in Sofia dispatched a junior officer to Mercedes-Benz, requesting assistance in locating the three men using the vehicle’s GPS data. Mercedes-Benz quickly determined that the camper van was stationary in the mountains above the village of Zgorigrad in the Vratsa province. This information was reported to the MVR within an hour.
The sequence of events raises several critical questions regarding the investigation:
Did investigators in Sofia share the location of Kalushev and his companions with their colleagues in Vratsa? If not, why?
If the Vratsa MVR was informed of the Mercedes-Benz data, why were they unable to locate the camper van?
Was an active search for the vehicle even conducted?
The Vratsa region is known to have experienced mountaineers familiar with the terrain of the Balkan Mountains. Was assistance sought from local experts to survey the area, and if not, why?
BulNews agency, with the help of an experienced mountaineer, located the camper van’s parking spot several days later, becoming the first journalistic team to reach the site. This raises questions about the investigative resources deployed by law enforcement.
On February 8th, the camper van, identified as a key piece of evidence, was discovered near Okolchitsa. The following day, local forensic investigators determined the vehicle’s entry and exit times from Vratsa using traffic cameras. A private camera in the village of Chellopek recorded the camper van traveling towards Mount Vola. This information could have potentially led to the swift location of the group led by Ivaylo Kalushev. Was a traffic check conducted on February 3rd – five days before the discovery of the three bodies – and if not, why?
questions have emerged regarding potential interference in the investigation. Was there an unwritten order from the then-Chief Secretary of the MVR, Miroslav Rashkov, to create the appearance of activity on the case without undertaking substantial investigative steps?
Allegations similarly suggest a past connection between Rashkov, during his time with the Economic Police, and the group associated with Ivaylo Kalushev. The nature of this alleged relationship and the reasons for the group’s perceived importance to senior MVR leadership remain unclear.
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