Alarm bells rang in the early hours of Sunday on the passenger ferry traveling from Chios to Mytilene, when between Chios and Lesbos a Turkish smuggler jumped into the sea while handcuffed. According to the latest developments, the police officers guarding the foreign smuggler are now under arrest.
Read: Chios: Documentary video of Turkish prisoner diving into sea and escaping
Chios: Four police officers under arrest after Turkish prisoner escaped by diving into sea
It should be noted that the 32-year-old Turkish man who escaped by jumping from the ship into the sea off Chios in the early hours of Sunday had been arrested by the Coast Guard on Lesbos last July for human trafficking.
The 32-year-old was detained at Korydallos prison and was being transported to Lesbos for his trial.
The police officers now under arrest, according to sources, include 3 special guards and one senior guard who were on the passenger-vehicle ferry in the early hours of Saturday.
How the Turkish prisoner managed to escape
The incident unfolded in the early morning hours while the ship was between Chios and Oinousses. According to current information, the prisoner was sleeping on the ship’s floor, guarded by police officers, while wearing handcuffs.
At some point, a passenger opened the door leading to the deck and the prisoner quickly got up, ran outside and dove into the Aegean Sea. The police officers informed the captain who stopped the ship and began on-site searches to locate him, but he had vanished.
This is an individual who had been arrested on July 7 by the Coast Guard for migrant smuggling and his transfer to Korydallos had been decided.
Timeline of the case
According to the 4 police officers accompanying him, everything happened at 4 AM when the 32-year-old, pretending to be asleep while wearing handcuffs, surprised the officers, got up, and started running inside the ship.
When a citizen opened the door to go out on deck, the 32-year-old also went out and jumped from the deck into the sea. The alarm was immediately raised, the police informed the captain to immobilize the ship, and the Coast Guard was also notified. Searches for locating the 32-year-old prisoner continue to this hour.
The prescribed disciplinary procedure for the police officers has been initiated and an arrest warrant has been issued for them.
Police announcement
In the early morning hours of August 31, 2025, during a scheduled prisoner transport by ship, one of the transported prisoners went out on deck and fell into the sea while the ship was sailing between Chios and Mytilene.
Immediately, the escorting police officers informed the captain, who immobilized the ship and search and rescue procedures began. At the same time, the Coast Guard was notified, which deployed vessels to locate and rescue the prisoner.
Searches are ongoing with the assistance of the Coast Guard, which is also conducting the preliminary investigation, while additionally the prescribed disciplinary procedure has been initiated for this case.
