SARAJEVO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Border police in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) prevented 96 people from illegally crossing the state border on a single day, officials said on Thursday.
Officers from the Border Police Unit Gradiska conducted investigations on Wednesday and foiled these smuggling attempts in two separate incidents during border surveillance operations.
On Wednesday afternoon, an on-site probe led to the seizure of two boats carrying 63 individuals, including 40 Pakistani and 23 Bangladeshi nationals, who attempted to cross the border near Bistrica, a village on the border between BiH and Croatia. The operation identified two suspected smugglers.
Later in the evening, the authorities intercepted another 33 people - two Pakistanis, 13 Bangladeshis and 18 Afghans - in the same border area near Bistrica.
The Banja Luka Field Centre of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs has been informed of the incidents, and further investigation is underway, the police said. ■