Border cop found dead in Sredets home

A 48-year-old border guard died at his residence in Sredets after suffering a stroke while sleeping. Nikolay Popov had been temporarily assigned from Petrich to patrol the Strandzha border region when colleagues discovered him after he failed to report for duty. Officers found him on his bedroom floor with severe head injuries at his apartment on Aleksandar Stamboliyski Street.

Medical examiners determined that the more than 120-kilogram officer experienced the medical emergency overnight and struck his head after falling from bed. Authorities detected no signs of foul play at the scene. His body was transported for autopsy while family members received notification of his death. Police from Sredets station remembered Popov as an exceptional coworker.