Detained migrants sit on their knees with cuffed hands, at their makeshift camp close to the Serbia-Hungary border, near the city of Subotica, Serbia September 12, 2023.
It said that eight smugglers and 119 people have been arrested on charges including human trafficking and illegal possession of weapons and drugs.
Many migrants cross borders with the help of elaborate networks of smugglers who are sometimes armed, and shootouts between criminal groups are frequent.
Last month three migrants died in a shootout near Serbia's border with Hungary, a route increasingly used by people smugglers for entering the European Union.
Belgrade has pledged to align its visa policies with those of the EU to help stem the flow of illegal migrants westward.
Persons:
Marko Djurica, Djurovic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Barbara Lewis
Organizations:
REUTERS, Rights BELGRADE, Serbian, Serbian Ministry of Interior, Internal, European Union, Center for Protection, Asylum, RTV TV, Thomson
Locations:
Serbia, Hungary, Subotica, Sombor, Kikinda, Hungarian, Pirot, Bulgaria, East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia's, Austria, Belgrade