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Indian national suspected of running illegal migration route detained in St. Petersburg

The man was already tried for an illegal migration related crime in 2011 and served his sentence in a penal colony settlement

ST. PETERSBURG, August 19. /TASS/. Russian border guards and police have detained in St. Petersburg an Indian national suspected or organizing an illegal migration route, the press service of the FSB Border Department in St. Petersburg reported on Friday.

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"The Indian national, born in 1977, was detained in a joint operation of the Border Department and police," the source told TASS. "Law enforcement agencies had received latest updates about his possible links to active members of trans-border criminal groups, specializing on smuggling citizens of India and Pakistan to countries of Western Europe," the source said.

The man was already tried for an illegal migration related crime by a Pskov district court in 2011, and served his sentence in a penal colony settlement. "After he was set free, he did not abandon criminal plans, and was brought to administrative responsibility and expelled from Russia with a ban to enter the country for five years," he went on.

"Returning back home, he received a new passport and once again arrived in Russia looking for possibilities to organize new channels of illegal migration," the source said.

The Indian man has been taken into custody. Investigation considers instituting criminal proceedings over his illegal crossing of the Russian border. He may face up to four years in prison.

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