QUETTA, Sept 13: The Iranian border authorities handed over 126 Pakistanis to the country’s immigration officials at the Taftan border on Thursday, who had crossed into Iran illegally a few days ago.

A Pakistani border official confirming the report said: “They entered Iran via an unconventional route without having legal travelling documents.”

Most of them belong to Punjab who had gone to Iran in search of jobs.

“We have paid handsome money to the agents for crossing into Iran,” they told an investigation officer and added that many people in Punjab were running the illegal business of sending people to the European countries via Iran.

Sources said the Iranian officials had arrested the illegal travellers from a remote area in Iran a few days ago and kept them in jail till Thursday.

Two days ago, around 36 Bengalis and Afghans had also been nabbed by the Pakistani border officials, when they were crossing into Iran illegally, the sources said.