Group of 18 migrants detained on field near border with Hungary

A group formed of 18 migrants coming from Asia and Africa has been detained in a field near the border with Hungary in Arad County as the migrants were attempting to illegally cross the border into the neighboring state with the aid of a Serbian guide.

The border policemen in Varsand undertook actions to combat illegal migration together with their colleagues in Timis County, and approximately 500 meters from the border with Hungary they observed several persons that were walking in a field.

"Because those mentioned did not justify their presence in the border area, they were taken to the Border Police Precinct in Varsand where, following checks, the border policemen determined the group contains five Iraki citizens, two Syrians and eleven Somalis. During the investigations, our policemen determined that the foreign nationals were dropped off near the border by a Serbian citizen driving a minibus. A team from the Varsand Border Police immediately identified him in a nearby gas station as N.M., aged 51," a press release sent on Saturday by the Arad County Border Police says.

The 18 migrants - seven men and five women with ages between 18 and 45, as well as six minors aged between 3 months and 16 years - stated that they wanted to illegally cross the border into Hungary, where the Serbian national was going to pick them up and drop them off in a Western European country.

The guide is under investigation for trafficking migrants, while the 18 persons are under investigation for attempting to illegally cross the state border.