INSTANBUL: Turkish police have rescued 57 Pakistani migrants who had been chained up in an Istanbul basement by human traffickers trying to extort money, local media reported on Tuesday.
The traffickers told the migrants that they would take them to Europe for $10,000, with the money to be paid after they arrived, according to Hurriyet daily.
Some of those found on Monday had been tortured, the newspaper added.
Police also detained three traffickers of Pakistani origin on suspicion of misleading the migrants during the raid on the European side of the city.
The migrants had reportedly hoped to reach Europe via Greece or Italy, giving a code to the traffickers to access the money upon reaching Europe, Hurriyet said.
However, the human trafficking gang mainly made up of Pakistanis demanded the $10,000 upfront and told the migrants chained in Istanbul to call their families to tell them they had reached Europe already and to transfer the money, the daily said.
The incident comes days after bullet-riddles bodies of 20 people attempting to illegally cross into Iran on their way to Europe via Turkey were found near Turbat in two separate incidents.– Agencies
