70 illegal migrants from China arrested in Ukraine

70 illegal migrants from China have been detained by police officers in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

57 men and 13 women were in a three-apartment flat, the Main Interior Affairs Department of Ukraine disclosed on Wednesday. While inspecting the flat, the police officers discovered a rent agreement signed by the owner of the flat and a Chinese student. It was established that the document had been drawn up incorrectly, in particular, there was no indication of its official registration.

It turned out in the course of the investigation that the arrested illegal migrants had arrived in Ukraine via Moscow in groups of 10-15 people. The trip cost $7,000-10,000 for each of them.

At the present moment the Chinese are kept at a Kiev detention center. The law-enforcement officers are inquiring into the purpose of the illegal arrival in the country.

Over 5,000 illegal immigrants were arrested in Ukraine in 2002. They were mostly from Afghanistan, Vietnam, China, and Pakistan.