Dozens of migrants from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and India have been caught by Arad border guards in the last 24 hours trying to illegally cross the western border into Hungary through Arad county, either hiding in vehicles or walking on foot in the fields towards the Schengen Area, write Agerpres.

As many as 33 foreigners were discovered hiding in vehicles while a trailer truck and a van driven by Turkish drivers were checked at the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point.

According to a press release issued on Tuesday by the Arad Border Police, the drivers were transporting metal, paper rolls and car parts for trading companies in Germany and the UK.

„Following a thorough inspection of the means of transport, 33 foreign nationals were found hidden in the cargo compartments among the goods being transported. The persons were picked up and taken to the sector headquarters for investigations where, following checks, border police established that they are citizens from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and India, some of them having entered our country legally, all of them intending to arrive fraudulently in Western European countries,” the press release states.

In the area of Varsand, a border patrol noticed four people travelling on foot towards the neighbouring country 100 metres from the Hungarian border. They were intercepted and found to be from Pakistan.

In all cases, border police are conducting investigations for attempted fraudulent crossing of the state border. The two Turkish drivers are being investigated for migrant smuggling.