Viennese police officers were able to free 22 refugees who had been crammed into a van on Tuesday evening. The officers saw the car with an Italian license plate. The men behind the wheel and in the passenger seat became nervous when the police opened the hold. Inside were Indian citizens aged 17 to 39. The smugglers were arrested.
The van was parked on the Neubau belt in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus around 11 p.m. on Tuesday when officers from the Fuhrmannsgasse Police Station stopped it. The people sitting in front, also Indians, identified themselves with Italian documents.
After the refugees were discovered, cash was secured in the middle of four figures. The 24-year-old driver and 29-year-old passenger have been arrested, police said on Thursday.
More than 310 people smugglers have been arrested across Austria this year, according to the Ministry of the Interior. That is an increase of more than 40 percent compared to the previous year. “Fighting people smuggling is one of the current priorities of the work of the Austrian police – especially in the context of international cooperation,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP).
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
