Crime control: United Nations donates latest equipment to FIA

The gadgets will enhance the agency’s performance, says Punjab FIA director.


Asad Kharal March 16, 2014
The gadgets will enhance the agency’s performance, says Punjab FIA director. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE:


The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has donated modern equipment to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to improve its efficiency.


The UNODC has provided detection machines, ultra violet lights, close circuit cameras, computers, printers and digital exchanges, Punjab FIA Director Usman Anwar told The Express Tribune on Friday.

He said the equipment and gadgets would enhance the agency’s performance in combating human trafficking and smuggling cases.

“Work has also started on renovation of the Punjab FIA office following UNODC’s special donation… Arsalan Malik, a consultant for the UNODC Research and Planning, visited the office on Thursday to review progress,” he said.

Anwar said incidents of human smuggling and trafficking had decreased as a result of special training programmes and workshops organised by the UNODC.

He thanked Cesar Guedes, the UNODC representative in Pakistan, for his support.

“The FIA immigration officers are now able to detect security features of visa stickers of various countries as well as other documents using the gadgets donated.”

He said a database of wanted human traffickers and smugglers, proclaimed offenders (POs) and other criminals involved in cyber crimes, credit card fraud, bank fraud, white collar crimes and corruption cases had been compiled using a computer system provided by the UNODC.

“The investigation officers in Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan and Faisalabad Circles of the FIA are now able to update the FIRs data through a dedicated case monitoring system (CMS)… this has significantly helped the agency in dealing with criminal cases,” the Punjab FIA director said.

FIA arrest human trafficking suspects

Gujranwala circle of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday arrested a man whose name had been in the red book, a document listing high-profile human smuggling suspects.

FIA officials told The Express Tribune that Mirza Arshad Baig was arrested from Gujrat in a raid by a team led by Assistant Director Mian Khurram Yousuf.

The officials said Baig fired shots to deter the team raiding however no one was injured.

Separately, Immigration Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, on Saturday arrested two passengers, Muddasar Hussain and Muhammad Bilal, travelling to Cyprus on fake visas.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2014.

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