On Sunday evening, officers of the Kapčiamiestis border post of the VSAT Varėna border unit detected by technical means based on ground surface vibrations that an underground tunnel is likely being dug near the state border by the village of Pertakas (Varėna district).
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Belarus and Lithuania are separated at this location by a nameless stream, and the physical barrier, a metal fence and concertina wire, is installed deeper into our country’s territory due to unstable soil.
Upon seeing the arriving border guards, about twenty foreigners – young men dressed in civilian clothes – retreated into Belarusian territory.
On the bank of the stream, on Lithuanian territory, 9.5 meters before the physical barrier, VSAT officers found an unfinished underground tunnel about 11 meters long. It was supposed to run under the patrol path deeper into Lithuanian territory. Next to the tunnel were dragged logs, most likely intended for supports, excavated sand, and buckets inside.
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The tunnel was unfinished, there was no exit opening beyond the patrol path, so illegal migrants or other persons had no possibility to break into our country through this underground route.
A pre-trial investigation has been initiated at the VSAT Varėna border unit for illegal crossing of the state border, led by a prosecutor from the Alytus district prosecutor’s office of the Kaunas regional prosecutor’s office. For such a criminal act, the law provides for a fine, arrest, or imprisonment for up to two years.
After procedural pre-trial investigation actions, the tunnel intended for illegal migration was sealed.
