Six more 'traffickers' nabbed in Punjab raids

GUJRANWALA/RAWALPINDI/FAISALABAD:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has tightened its noose around human traffickers and has arrested six more suspects allegedly linked to gangs of human traffickers from different cities of Punjab.

According to the FIA, the agency during raids in various areas of Gujranwala, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, and Gujrat arrested five people, including a notorious human trafficker.

The arrested suspects are identified as Abdul Majeed, Muhammad Naqash, Amjad Chheema, Muhammad Shabbir, and Hafiz Shahid Iqbal.

Abdul Majeed was implicated in the recent Greece boat accident and has two cases registered against him. He extorted Rs4.2 million from a citizen—Fahad Khalid—to send him to Greece via boat. According to authorities, the victim went missing in the recent Greece boat tragedy.

Muhammad Naqash defrauded a citizen of Rs380,000 by falsely promising employment in Malaysia. Four passports were recovered from Amjad Chheema's possession, while two passports were seized from Shahid Iqbal.

The suspects were extorting large sums of money from citizens under the pretense of sending them abroad. Muhammad Shabbir took Rs300,000 from a citizen under the pretext of arranging travel to Saudi Arabia.

The arrested suspects failed to deliver on their promises and went into hiding after collecting substantial amounts. They have now been arrested, and investigations have begun, the FIA stated.

Separately, the FIA Islamabad Zone arrested a fugitive involved in illegally sending citizens to Europe via sea routes. The suspect, identified as Hassan Butt, was apprehended from Jhelum's Jalalpur Jattan area. According to an FIA spokesperson, Butt is a former police officer.

Meanwhile a court ordered the release of nine FIA employees who were arrested following the Greece boat tragedy for criminal negligence. Senior Civil Judge Muhammad Jamil on Saturday discharged the officials who were earlier performing duties at the Faisalabad airport.