Afghan migrant shot dead in Serbia

Hunter arrested on suspicion of killing 20-year-old man in town of Pirot, near border with Bulgaria

Serbian police have arrested a hunter after an Afghan migrant was shot dead in the country’s southeast near the border with Bulgaria, Belgrade said Wednesday.

Security forces were patrolling near the town of Pirot late Tuesday when they “heard a shot and then met six migrants, one of whom had been shot in the chest,” a defense ministry statement said.

There were also four hunters on the spot, one of whom was arrested after an initial probe.

“Upon the arrival of emergency services, doctors could only establish the death of a 20-year-old male citizen of Afghanistan,” the statement added, providing no further details.

A migrant wrapped in a blanket to keep warm waits at a registration camp in southern Serbian town of Presevo on January 22, 2016, after crossing the Macedonian border. (AFP / DIMITAR DILKOFF)

Serbia lies on the so-called Balkan route taken by hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa on their way to western Europe.

Although the route was effectively shut down in March, migrants have continued to cross the region in smaller numbers, often with the help of smugglers.

Since mid-July, when Belgrade launched joint police and army patrols to beef up its border security, more than 3,700 migrants have been found trying to cross illegally, official figures show.