(MENAFN) Serbian gendarmerie captured 829 illegal migrants as part of a sweep provoked by an overnight gunfight on the border with Hungary on Friday. At least one migrant was critically hurt in the shootout, which the Belgrade interior ministry claimed was between opposing gangs of human traffickers.
Six hundred individuals were held near Horgos, a 4,000-person settlement on the Serbia-Hungary border. According to the interior ministry, another 140 persons were apprehended in Belgrade as part of the same operation.
“We will have zero tolerance to those who abuse our hospitality,” according to the Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic. “The lives and property of Serbian citizens shall be protected.”
As per Tanjug news agency, Gasic, who was formerly the chief of Serbia's counterintelligence, said his visit was a statement to the people of northern Serbia that the police were serious about safeguarding them from illegal migrants and "criminal people smugglers."
The detained migrants will be sent to shelters in southern Serbia, according to the police, who also stated that "frequent inspections" will be undertaken in the future to protect the safety of both local inhabitants and migrants.
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