Syrian immigrants deceived by traffickers

MUĞLA - Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

Eighteen illegal immigrants from Syria have been brought from Istanbul to the Aegean province of Muğla’s Datça district, having been persuaded by human traffickers that they had arrived on a Greek island.

The immigrants, including five women and one child, first fled to the southern province of Kilis and headed to Istanbul from there. In Istanbul, they made contact with a group of human traffickers, telling them they wanted to flee to Greece, and reaching an agreement for their transport to “Greece” in exchange for 1,000 Turkish Liras.

The traffickers brought the refugees to the Aegean town of Bodrum on Sept. 10 at around 5:00 a.m. via the highway. They then put the immigrants on a boat, and left them near the port of Körmen port in Karaköy village in Datça, convincing them that they had landed on a Greek island.

Gendarmerie units, who have increased the frequency of their patrols in the region due to a recent increase in illegal immigration, found the Syrian immigrants. After they were detained, the immigrants underwent a medical examination and gave testimony.

One of the immigrants said that during the boat trip, the human traffickers constantly frightened them by saying “Turkish and Greek Coast Guard units are coming. Hide yourselves.” The immigrants will reportedly be deported from Turkey after their processing at the gendarmerie office is complete.