Over 50 refugees found abandoned in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A group of Afghans, who were plundered of their money by a smuggler giving them false hopes of taking them to Europe, have been found abandoned in Istanbul by local security units.

According to a report by İhlas News Agency, local security units found two trucks filled with some 59 Afghan refugees abandoned in a rural area near the Eskici Village.

The police investigation showed that human smugglers, who took 8,000 euros per person, promised to take them to Europe but instead fled after leaving them in Büyükçekmece.

“We are Afghans. The human smugglers took us from [the western province of] İzmir. They were supposed to take us to Europe,” Zergun Amiri, one of the victims, told the agency.

The police officers said among the 59 refugees, 18 were children and 15 were women.

“The economy in Afghanistan is so bad. We want to go to Europe and work there,” Amiri added.

The police are now checking the surveillance cameras around the neighborhood to track human smugglers.