Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Atanas Ilkov announced that there is no evidence of violence by border police officers against migrants, following investigations into the deaths of three men found in the Stranzdha mountain area served by the Border Police Department in Sredets. According to Ilkov, forensic examinations revealed the men died from overwork, frostbite, and possibly complications linked to excessive consumption of energy drinks during their crossing. He emphasized that no reports of police violence had been filed and affirmed that border officers are experienced and trained to operate within legal parameters.

Ilkov noted that in this case, the police responded promptly to the reports. The first alert was received on December 28 via the emergency number 112, leading to the discovery of two bodies without identification documents. The following day, December 29, a third body was found in the same region. The victims, whose identities remain unknown, are believed to have attempted a journey through the challenging terrain of Strandzha.

The minister also addressed the search for a missing 13-year-old boy from the village of Konare, who disappeared more than 20 days ago. Divers are currently searching a reservoir in the area, with Ilkov vowing to continue efforts to find the child. “We will not stop until the last hope to reach this child,” he said.

In response to a question about a separate incident in Plovdiv, where a police officer died after being accidentally shot by his child, Ilkov stated that no evidence of disciplinary violations by officers involved in the investigation has been found.

Source:

• Bulgarian News Agency (BTA)
• Novini.bg