19.10.2026 21:22
In Ankara, a startling mechanism was uncovered during a search of an intercity passenger bus that police teams had been following. It was determined that a hidden compartment had been built into the floor of the bus coming from Van to Ankara. When the compartment was opened, 5 irregular migrants of Afghan nationality were caught. The bus driver and assistant driver were detained, and an investigation into migrant smuggling was launched regarding the incident.
A police check on a passenger bus uncovered a striking smuggling method. Five irregular migrants were found in a secret compartment under the floor of the bus stopped in Ankara. Two people linked to the incident were detained.
POLICE TEAMS FOLLOWED THE BUS
Teams from the Ankara Provincial Police Department's Anti-Smuggling Crimes Branch Directorate and the Combating Migrant Smuggling and Border Gates Branch Directorate launched work within the scope of combating migrant smuggling. During the efforts, an intercity passenger bus traveling from Van to Ankara was put under surveillance. Police teams checked the bus they had followed along the route at the Ankara Intercity Terminal Operations (AŞTİ). In the inspection carried out on the vehicle, a compartment that was not noticeable at first glance was detected.
THEY MADE A SECRET COMPARTMENT IN THE BUS FLOOR
During a detailed search by police on the bus, a specially created hidden area was found in the floor of the vehicle. The hidden compartment located beneath the passenger area was revealed as a result of the teams' careful examination. When the compartment was opened, the people hidden on the bus were reached. The search on the vehicle also revealed how irregular migrants were hidden during the intercity journey.
FIVE PEOPLE CAME OUT OF THE SECRET COMPARTMENT
Police teams determined that five irregular migrants of Afghan nationality were in the compartment in the floor of the bus. The five people removed from the hidden area were handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management for the necessary procedures. No information was provided on how long the migrants traveled in the compartment in question. Meanwhile, it drew attention that the area created in the floor of the bus was hidden, unlike the ordinary passenger sections inside the vehicle.
DRIVER AND CO-DRIVER DETAINED
Following the operation, the bus driver and co-driver were detained by police teams. Judicial proceedings were initiated against the two suspects on charges of migrant smuggling. In the investigation conducted under the coordination of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the suspects' procedures at the police station are ongoing. After the procedures are completed, the driver and co-driver are expected to be referred to court.