Traffickers at the wheel

Family from Turkey stopped on the run

There was a family from Turkey in the car. The smuggler at the wheel ran away.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

An illegal refugee transport was caught in a radar check in Burgenland. The suspected trafficker at the wheel fled into the vineyards. The Turkish family was brought to Schattendorf. 

The police carried out a routine "action sharp" against speeders in the Oberpullendorf district on Tuesday. In Neckenmarkt, officers noticed a black car in the late afternoon because the driver was holding a cell phone in his hand while driving. When a patrol car took up the pursuit, the car with Hungarian license plates slowed down and stopped on a goods road.

Man fled
Suddenly, the man at the wheel jumped out of the car and ran to the nearby vineyards. The Ford Focus car was fully occupied. The occupants, including two underage children, did not speak a word of German. Only later did it emerge that the six refugees picked up were a Kurdish-Turkish family. None of them had any personal identification or travel documents with them.

Search underway
As it was suspected that the driver had been hired as a trafficker, a manhunt was immediately launched. Air support was requested to intensify the search for the fugitive suspect.

A police helicopter took off and flew wide circles in the border area. The suspected accomplice of a smuggling gang was wearing dark clothing and was around 30 years old. The unidentified man could not be traced for the time being. The Turkish family was taken to the army in Schattendorf for care. Further investigations are still underway.

More than 1400 migrants apprehended so far
Since January, 1411 migrants have been registered in Burgenland, including the current case. 19 smugglers have been apprehended so far. Experienced officials assume that the number of illegal refugee transports will increase this fall.