The State Attorney's Office in the northern Croatian town of Cakovec has launched an investigation and the local court has ordered pre-trial detention for a 21-year-old Romanian national for attempting to illegally transport Bangladeshi migrants to Slovenia and treating them inhumanely.

The prosecutor’s office reported that the arrested Romanian was charged with illegal entry, movement and stay in Croatia.

It added that the 21-year-old Romanian on 24 July took several Bangladeshis who did not have travel documents, visas, or approved residence in Croatia and the Schengen area with the intention of transporting them illegally in a truck for a promised monetary reward to Slovenia.

He treated the migrants in an inhumane and humiliating way by placing them in the cargo area of the vehicle without ventilation or sufficient space, where they could hardly breathe.

He was stopped by the police at the Bukovje border crossing in Medjimurje.

The suspect has been remanded in custody as he is considered a flight risk.