For three days: Suspected human traffickers remanded into FIA custody

FIA officials directed to produce the suspects again on July 2

ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate on Wednesday remanded three suspected human traffickers into the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on three-day physical remand.

The FIA had arrested the suspects during a raid on a guesthouse in F-7 on June 27, in possession of 30 Pakistani passports, bank cheques and other documents.

The suspects were identified as Sajid Mehmood, Abrar Ahmad and Shahid Iqbal.

The FIA officials said the suspects were involved in fraud in Hajj quota in connivance with the tours operators.



Officials said Iqbal worked as a technical assistant in the Privatisation Commission, while Ahmad worked as a driver in the Saudi embassy in Islamabad.

The embassy, however, later denied that Ahmad worked for them.

On Wednesday, the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) produced the suspects before Senior Civil Judge/Judicial Magistrate Abdul Ghafoor Kakar.

The FIA prosecution team requested for eight-day physical remand of the suspects in order to arrest their accomplices and recover more passports.

The court, however, granted three-day physical custody of the suspects and directed the FIA officials to produce the suspects again on July 2.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2016.