FIA arrests 14 suspected human traffickers in Gujranwala zone

GUJRANWALA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Gujranwala Zone, has arrested 14 suspects in separate human trafficking and illegal immigration cases during operations conducted across Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot circles from Sept 3 to 7.

According to the FIA Gujranwala Zone spokesperson, the arrested suspects include several proclaimed offenders and a deportee who was allegedly involved in illegal immigration.

The arrests included eight suspects from the Gujranwala Circle, three from the Gujrat Circle and three from the Sialkot Circle.

The suspects were identified as Hamid Amin, Rizwan Asghar, Dilawar Hussain, Muhammad Inayat, Muhammad Ali, Arsalan Shehzad, Muhammad Jamshed, Sajid, Muhammad Ejaz, Anjum Tabir, Ansar Iqbal, Mirza Samiullah, Muhammad Shabbir and Ehsan Masih.

The FIA said the suspects allegedly collected large sums of money from citizens after promising to send them abroad for employment and other opportunities.

The countries mentioned in the cases include Spain, Poland, Portugal, Turkish Cyprus, Libya, Greece, Iraq, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan and Cambodia.

According to the agency, the suspects allegedly received a combined amount of Rs32.32 million from victims but failed to fulfil their commitments and also refused to return the money. In one of the cases, an additional amount of €3,000 was allegedly received from a victim.

In one of the significant operations, the FIA arrested Arsalan Shehzad, who had reportedly been deported from Libya to Pakistan. The agency said he was arrested in a case pertaining to illegal immigration.

During the investigation, it allegedly emerged that six agents — Babar Bhatti, Waqar Khokhar, Tahir Talib, Zeeshan, Moazzam Raza and Sherry Mato — had collected money from the suspect on the promise of sending him to Italy, but allegedly sent him to Libya instead.

In another case, suspect Sajid allegedly promised to send a citizen to Iraq but sent him to Iran instead. The victim subsequently had to spend another Rs25,000 to return to Pakistan, according to the FIA.

Similarly, suspect Muhammad Shabbir allegedly received money to send a victim’s son to Italy but instead sent him to Libya. The agency said the promised employment was also not provided.

The FIA spokesperson said Hamid Amin was arrested shortly after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail petition.

Cases against the arrested suspects are being processed under the Emigration Ordinance, 1979, and other relevant laws, the FIA said. Some of the suspects were also proclaimed offenders in different cases.

The agency said further investigation into the cases was under way and more facts could emerge during the investigation.

The FIA Gujranwala Zone maintained that action against elements involved in human trafficking, illegal immigration and fraudulent overseas employment schemes would continue without discrimination.

The arrests come amid continued complaints from citizens in the region regarding fraudulent agents who allegedly collect substantial amounts of money by promising overseas employment and travel opportunities but fail to fulfil their commitments.