Published 20:23 IST, December 5th 2019
Conman sets up fake Russia border with Finland to trick migrants
Border security forces in Russia's northwest arrested a man last week for setting up fake border outpost with Finland to trick thousands of migrants.
Border security forces in Russia's northwest arrested a man last week for setting up fake border outpost with Finland to trick migrants. They have taken thousands of euros from migrants who thought that it was a journey through the woods to the European Union. The man who was identified as a citizen of the former Soviet Union republics has set up the border posts in the forest outside St Petersburg and had charged four men from South Asia more than 10,000 euros (£8,400) for his services for smuggling them into neighbouring Finland, Russia’s Border Guard Service told the reporters on Wednesday.
Conman takes the risk of fake migrant journey
Russia’s 1,340-kilometer border with Finland mostly passes through the sparsely populated areas in the forest allowing easy access for migrants to get into the European Union. The Russian Border Guard Service said that the man took the migrants on a trip out of town and led them to the fake border where he left them. The man took the risk of the fake migrant journey where he even carried a dingy. A video released by authorities showed four men with their hands up standing in a dark forest.
Migrants fined
The men were fined and deported out of Russia. The authorities did not specify their nationalities. A court in St Petersburg on Wednesday fined the migrants for violating the immigration process and ordered their deportation. The Russian border in Finland became a popular destination for asylum seekers at the end of the 2015 migrant crisis in Europe. The man behind the smuggling scheme was from central Asia and could be charged with fraud, according to media reports. Russia shares borders with a number of EU countries and many people seeking a better life in Europe pass through Russia.
Updated 21:29 IST, December 5th 2019