Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore Zone claimed on Sunday to have arrested four suspects involved in human trafficking and visa fraud from Model Town, Rehman Garden, and Shama here. FIA spokesperson told the media that suspects Raheel Parvez, Muhammad Umar, Yamam Nadeem and Rohan Mahmood were operating fraudulent travel agencies and deceiving citizens with false promises of overseas employment.
Raheel Parvez had been on FIA’s radar since 2019 for fraudulently collecting Rs 9 million from citizens, claiming to facilitate their immigration to Canada. Investigations revealed that the suspects were running unauthorised travel agencies and were illegally collecting passports from citizens. They allegedly committed visa fraud, extorting millions of rupees while luring individuals with promises of jobs abroad.
During the raids, FIA officials recovered 12 Pakistani passports, educational documents, and multiple mobile SIM cards.
The suspects failed to justify possession of the recovered passports.
Authorities also reported that they would vanish after receiving payments, leaving victims stranded.
FIA Director Sarfaraz Khan Virk said that operations against human trafficking networks had been intensified and strict legal action would be taken against the arrested individuals. He added that FIA was committed to dismantling international human trafficking networks and ensuring strict punishment for offenders under the law. Investigation was ongoing, and authorities were working to trace additional links to the human smuggling network, he added.
