Scion of U.K.'s Third-Richest Man Flees Police

LONDON, June 18, 2008 — -- Hans Kristian Rausing, the son of Britain's third-richest man who was wanted for questioning related to an alleged hit-and-run accident, is on the run after escaping police by jumping from the bedroom window of his $10 million London home, according to the Daily Mail.

The alleged escape followed reports that a car traced to Rausing's home failed to stop after colliding with another car on the streets of London on Sunday.

Rausing and his wife, Eva, both 44, have been in the spotlight in recent months after Eva was arrested in April for allegedly trying to smuggle class A drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin, into the American Embassy in London.

According to The Times, of London, Eva Rausing was put on police bail over the drug charges.

The American Embassy would not comment because Eva, an American citizen, is protected by privacy laws. "This is a Scotland Yard issue," the embassy spokesman told ABC News.

At the time of the embassy incident, Eva Rausing told reporters that she is ashamed of her actions.

She apologized to her friends and family, saying, "I hope in due course to get back on track. I am sorry for the upset I have caused," according to the Daily Mail.

An Accident, Then a Daring Escape

This week the Rausings were brought back into the public eye when police were alerted over a Sunday incident involving an Audi Quattro reportedly driving recklessly through London.

Scotland Yard confirmed that police received two complaints on the evening of June 15 of erratic driving and failure to stop following a collision. Police traced the vehicle in question back to the Rausings' Chelsea residence.

The Daily Mail reported that police entered the house only to find that Hans Rausing had performed a James Bond-like escape through the bedroom window.

"Officers attended an address in Chelsea to make further inquiries. The registered keeper of the vehicle was not at the address. Inquiries continue," a Scotland Yard spokesman told ABC News.

Despite claims in the Daily Mail that officers found $4,000 worth of drugs in the Chelsea residence, Scotland Yard told ABC News that there was nothing to suggest that drugs were involved.

That is "paper talk, so to say," the spokesman said to ABC News.

A Privileged Background

As the heir to Tetra Pak, the world's largest packing production company, Rausing hails from an incredibly wealthy background.

However, both Hans and Eva have struggled with drug addictions since their hippie youths. The couple reportedly met when they were in the same rehabilitation clinic in the United States.

In addition to tackling his own addictions, the son of the packaging tycoon has devoted a considerable amount of time and money to helping drug abusers.

The charity that Hans and Eva Rausing are most involved with is the Mentor Foundation, an international nonprofit organization focused on preventing drug abuse. The Rausings have donated an estimated $400,000 to the charity in the past seven years, according to the Daily Mail.

The Mentor Foundation refused to comment on this incident.

A Variety of Hideout Options

The challenge for Scotland Yard now is determining Rausing's mysterious whereabouts.

Finding Hans may prove to be no small feat for detectives. He could be in one of many family residences, including estates in Sussex and Barbados.

If Rausing decided against the English countryside or the Caribbean, he may be circumnavigating the globe in his apartment on the family luxury cruise liner, The World.

Scotland Yard insist that the crime they are dealing with is Rausing's failure to stop his vehicle after a crash, but his wife could face jail time if convicted on the drug charges. The penalty for possessing Class A drugs is six months imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.

Access to the United States would also be denied -- not an ideal predicament for a 44-year-old man with four children and relatives in America.