FIA busts visa fraud scheme in Rawalpindi

Two suspects arrested for scamming over 350 citizens and swindling more than Rs78 million with fake visas to Greece

RAWALPINDI:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two key members of a gang involved in a massive visa fraud scheme that deceived over 350 citizens.

According to an FIA spokesperson, the suspects, identified as Ghulam Murtaza and Anjum Javed, were apprehended during a raid in Islamabad on Friday.

The suspects, along with their accomplices, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme that promised employment in Greece, swindling innocent citizens out of more than Rs78 million. The gang provided fake visas to Greece in exchange for large sums of money. After collecting substantial sums from their victims, the suspects went into hiding.

The arrests are part of FIA's ongoing efforts to crack down on human trafficking and visa fraud on the directive by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

The FIA urges citizens to verify the authenticity of job offers and visas through official channels to avoid falling prey to such scams.

Earlier on July 6, the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Cell in Rawalpindi conducted a raid on the office of an overseas employment promoter, arresting a suspect allegedly involved in visa fraud.

According to a spokesperson, a team from the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle Rawalpindi apprehended Owais Nazir, a human smuggler, at Hashmi Overseas Employment on Murree Road.

Nazir was implicated in both visa fraud and human trafficking. He had collected over Rs.0.63 million from a citizen, promising employment in Bahrain, but failed to deliver and subsequently went into hiding. The police have confirmed Nazir’s arrest and have initiated an investigation into the case.