Ninety-six people, including 36 Bangladeshis, have been detained by border police in Bosnia and Herzegovina for allegedly attempting to illegally cross the country’s border.
The Gradiska Border Police, with assistance from the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska, foiled two attempts to illegally cross the border on Wednesday, according to reports published Thursday by Sarajevo Times and First Balkan Media.
According to the Bosnia and Herzegovina Border Police, the first attempt involved 63 people and was stopped in Bistrica on Wednesday afternoon. The group included 40 Pakistani nationals and 23 Bangladeshis.
Acting on instructions from the prosecutor on duty at the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, authorities seized two boats at the scene and identified two people suspected of involvement in human trafficking.
Later that night, another attempt involving 33 people was foiled in Bistrica. The group included 13 Bangladeshis, 18 Afghans and two Pakistanis.
Authorities said the Banja Luka Field Centre of the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs had been informed of the incidents and that legal proceedings were underway.