Year in review: FIA deals with 2,079 inquiries during 2018

FAISALABAD: During 2018, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Faisalabad dealt with a total of 2,079 inquiries which included pending cases from 2017. Out of these, 1,296 cases were either closed or transferred to other departments.

The agency dealt with 1,579 cases of human smuggling in 2018 while 229 cases of corruption in federal departments and 110 banking circle crimes were also reported. Meanwhile, at least 90 wanted criminals were arrested while Rs70 million were also recovered. Further, 843 individuals were apprehended in 53 raids conducted against money laundering, illegal currency exchange, electricity and gas theft and human smuggling.

Around, 569 cases of human smuggling were registered during the year, 115 of which are still under investigation. Further, 30 out of the 229 corruption cases reported against federal government employees were registered while 190 were closed or transferred to other departments. Around 25 corruption cases are still under investigation.



Overall, 1,264 cases are still pending in court. These included 877 cases of human smuggling, 186 cases of corruption and 201 banking circle crimes.

Speaking to Express News, FIA Faisalabad Region Additional Director Sajid Akram says that overall 90 wanted criminals were arrested during the year while raids are being conducted to apprehend 128 more.



He maintained that 53 raids were conducted against property rights, adulterated medicine, money laundering, illegal currency exchanges and electricity and gas theft, on the basis of which cases were registered and 843 accused were apprehended.

“During 2018, FIA recovered approximately Rs70.6 million while courts fined Rs16.6 million, he said. FIA also registered Rs25 million fraud case against a bank in Garh Maharaja in Jhang district. Meanwhile, cases were registered against 34 women who were employed by the education department for using bogus papers, he said.

Moreover, corruption cases amounting to Rs45 million were registered against the employees working in the Sargodha, Jhang and Faisalabad offices of the Pakistan Works Department (PWD), he said. Further, 16 people were arrested for their involvement in the illegal organ transplant business while 10 individuals were arrested for sending residents of Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and other areas to foreign countries using fake documents, he added.

Around 16 people from Faisalabad and Sargodha were arrested in 13 raids for their involvement in the illegal dish antenna business. As per the Supreme Court’s orders, 27 raids were conducted against schools charging exorbitant tuition fees while 14 individuals, committing fraud using fake thumbprints in the Benazir Income Support Programme, were also arrested, he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2018.