FIA nets 257 illegal migrants in December

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested 257 people in December for attempting to travel illegally to Iran via the sea route, as authorities intensified a crackdown against human smuggling and unlawful border crossings.

According to an FIA spokesperson, the arrests were made by the agency's Composite Circle Gwadar during a series of intensified operations targeting illegal maritime movement. The suspects were intercepted while attempting to leave Pakistan through the coastal belt without valid travel documents.

The arrested individuals belong to various districts of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Among them are 34 foreign nationals, including 30 Afghan citizens, two Bangladeshis and two Iranians, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the suspects were apprehended from Jiwani, where they were preparing to cross into Iran illegally by sea. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects had planned to use Iran as a transit point to travel onward to other countries through unlawful means.

Of the Pakistani nationals taken into custody, 142 belong to Punjab, 63 to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 to Sindh, while the remaining suspects are from Balochistan, according to FIA officials.

They said that cases have been registered against the arrested individuals and further investigations were underway to identify facilitators, handlers and networks involved in human smuggling and illegal border crossings.

The FIA said a nationwide crackdown against human traffickers and those involved in illegal cross-border movement was continuing, adding that all available resources were being utilised to arrest those facilitating such activities.