Nine people were remanded for eight days after they helped 16 irregular migrants into the country in the Peristerona area of Nicosia, police said on Friday.

At around 9.30pm on Thursday, members of the buffer zone surveillance unit located the 16 irregular migrants on the main road of Peristerona, eight of whom were minors.

In addition to that, three vehicles were seen moving suspiciously in the area, in which a total of nine people were travelling.

They were arrested for the evident offences of aiding the smuggling of irregular migrants and appeared before the Nicosia district court on Friday, where an eight-day remand order was issued.

The 16 migrants were taken to the Pournara reception centre in Kokkinotrimithia.