The Greek police detained 9 Syrian migrants who, under the guise of volleyball team players, according to their statement, tried to leave on the night of March 30-31 from Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” to Vienna.
The team of “athletes” was spotted by the security department of the Athens Airport Police Department. After verification of documents, citizens were arrested on charges of violating the immigration code and the law on foreigners.
According to EΛAΣ, nine foreigners had fake IDs. In order to trick the police, they all came to the international airport together, dressed in sports uniforms with the same bags (which should have been a distraction) and to create the appearance of the volleyball players.
During a police check it was established that they do not belong to a sports club, and their goal was to illegally leave Greece using fake travel documents. Nine of the accused were taken to the Athens Prosecutor’s Office.
As previously reported by “Russian Athens”, leaving Greece under the guise of volleyball players is regularly practiced by scammers. For example, 10 migrants calling themselves Syrians, who, under the guise of a volleyball team from Ukraine, tried to fly illegally from Greece to Switzerland, were detained by the police at the Eleftherios Venizelos airport on September 22, 2019. The police established that Ukrainian passports provided by fake athletes, were entered into the database as stolen or lost.
“The men, between the ages of 20 and 25, were dressed in the same sports uniform and had the same sports bags. In addition, they had two volleyballs in their hands,” EΛAΣ said.
After interrogation, the police established that the detainees actually had nothing to do with the Ukrainian volleyball team, and, in fact, with Ukraine, too. There are also suspicions that these scammers also have nothing to do with Syria, since in appearance they look more like immigrants from Pakistan or Bangladesh.
The detainees were sent to the prosecutor’s office, where they were charged with attempting to illegally leave the country using stolen or lost travel documents.
“The men, between the ages of 20 and 25, were dressed in the same sports uniform and had the same sports bags. In addition, they had two volleyballs in their hands,” EΛAΣ said.
After interrogation, the police established that the detainees actually had nothing to do with the Ukrainian volleyball team, and, in fact, with Ukraine, too. There are also suspicions that these scammers also have nothing to do with Syria, since in appearance they look more like immigrants from Pakistan or Bangladesh.
The detainees were sent to the prosecutor’s office, where they were charged with attempting to illegally leave the country using stolen or lost travel documents.
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