Workers from the „Bulmetal“ factory and residents of Gurkovo blocked traffic through the Republic Pass, known as the Hainboaz Pass, for nearly 30 minutes. More than 100 people took part in the protest, demanding information about the detained owner of the company, Kolyo Atanasov.
The demonstration was prompted by an operation carried out by the Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime and the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs. Atanasov’s wife and his four children were present at the protest in front of the production facility.
Kolyo Atanasov was detained for up to 24 hours and taken to Sofia. At the same time, officers from the Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime and the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs carried out searches and seizures at the factory and at his home. According to BGNES, the operation began late the previous evening and continued for hours.
Four people detained in the pre-trial proceedings
A total of four people aged between 31 and 54 were detained during the operation in Gurkovo. The investigation is part of pre-trial proceedings concerning the illegal use of special technical devices for the covert collection of information. Tracking devices, known as trackers, are being examined.
Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs Director Nikolay Peltekov said that no charges had been brought against the detainees at this stage. „The first report in the case was filed with the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs, which is why the pre-trial proceedings are also being conducted here. The report was filed by one of the individuals against whom the technical devices were used,“ he said.
Peltekov did not specify who the individuals were against whom the devices had been used, nor whether any representatives of politics or business were among them. Additional expert examinations are forthcoming to clarify the purpose of the trackers discovered and the way in which they were used.
The searches disrupted the company’s operations
Computers and phones were seized during the operation. This disrupted the work of „Bulmetal“ – a company producing metal packaging, which employs hundreds of people and is among the main employers in Gurkovo Municipality.
The workers wanted to find out where Atanasov was and the grounds for his detention. At this time, there is no official information about charges being brought against him or the other detainees.
Once the necessary investigative actions have been completed, the case materials will be submitted to the Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office.
Sources: bgnes.bg, nova.bg, bnrnews.bg