Celje - The police apprehended a 34-year-old Bosnian man on Wednesday, who is suspected of smuggling 13 Pakistani nationals into Slovenia in August, for a fee and in conditions unworthy of human life, before leaving them stranded on a motorway shoulder near Celje in a broken-down car.

The Celje police had been notified on 30 August about a broken-down car stranded on a motorway shoulder near Celje. They found 13 Pakistani nationals crammed in the back of the vehicle, while the driver had escaped before the police arrived.

The migrants were in poor health due to transportation in inhumane conditions, and one of them was assisted by paramedics on the spot, before being taken to a hospital in Celje for treatment.

The Pakistani nationals were destined for Italy, and were brought to Slovenia from Croatia illegally. They were taken to an asylum centre in Ljubljana, while the police collected information on the runaway driver, who was subsequently found and detained on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old Bosnian man will be brought before an investigating judge today. He faces between three and 15 years in prison and a fine.