Staff Reporter
LAHORE, :The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala Zone has arrested seven human traffickers, including wanted criminals, in a major crackdown on human smugglers as well as visa fraud in the raids conducted in Wazirabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Gujrat, and Gujranwala.
A spokesperson for the FIA said, the arrested suspects had been identified as Muhammad Irfan, Shaukat Ali, Umar Sultan, Awn Irtaza, Riyasat Ali, Ali Hassan and Muhammad Asghar. They were involved in fraudulently promising foreign employment and extorting millions from citizens. The accused collected large sums of money by offering fake job opportunities in Oman, Albania, Cyprus, Italy and Dubai.
One of the suspects, Asghar allegedly took Rs 2.6 million from a citizen, promising a job in Italy. He attempted to send the victim via a dangerous sea route, but he refused and returned to Pakistan.
The spokesperson said the suspects failed to deliver on their promises and went into hiding after collecting money from desperate job seekers.
FIA Director Gujranwala Zone Abdul Qadir Qamar said that a full-scale crackdown on human traffickers is ongoing. He emphasised that actions against human trafficking networks have intensified.
Abdul Qadir said that the arrested individuals will face strict legal consequences added FIA teams remain in constant contact with victims ensuring justice is served.
