Belgian cops catch illegal Sikhs hiding in secret compartment of Romanian truck

Belgian police have discovered 25 Sikhs in a secret compartment of a Romanian truck, the media reported on Thursday.The police made the discovery in the Belgian town of Essen close to the border with the Netherlands.

The migrants were aged between 2 and 88 and were said to be Sikhs, the media said.

Police stopped the Romanian truck following a tip off.

An official was quoted as saying: "Behind a whole load of onions in the hold we discovered a self-made cage. The cage was no bigger than 4 square metres but contained 25 people of Sikh origin, all squashed together.

"The people could be freed from this hazardous condition and were taken care of by civil protection officers."

The two Romanian drivers were detained.