Tirana – The arrests came after Albanian police on Thursday blocked 270 men, women and children from trying to board ferries in the southern port of Vlora bound for Italy, who would then be transferred to Germany on buses.

The passengers, mostly coming from the regions of Elbasan, Berat and Durres, were reportedly told that they would obtain asylum as refugees in Germany.

Police arrested the head of the travel agency, Agimi Travel, Agim Muçaj, who is accused of conning people into believing that if they bought one-way tickets to Germany through his agency for 140 euro, they had chance to apply for economic asylum.

Three employees of the agency and the owner have been arrested as part of the scheme.

In an interview with the media before his arrest, Mucaj said that the influx of people to the port of Vlora was a result of his agency’s “successful advertising techniques”.

However, police said that Mucaj and other employees of the agency circulated rumours of possible asylum in Germany based on the applicants’ economic status, while most of his passengers did not have the necessary documents to travel into the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone.