GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed on Thursday to have arrested three alleged human traffickers, including the one involved in kidnapping of illegal immigrants in Iran for ransom.

According to the FIA officials, these suspects have been arrested in Gujrat and Gujranwala areas during the ongoing crackdown on human traffickers in Gujranwala Zone.

An FIA official says that the three arrested agents -- Sajjad Hussain, Khalil Ahmed and Rashid -- were wanted in different cases of visa frauds, kidnap for ransom and human trafficking.

He says that Sajjad Hussain alias Kaley Khan had been accused of illegally sending a man to Iran where he was taken hostage. The suspect then demanded ransom for his release and the man was later freed after his family paid Rs1.2 million to him.

One involved in kidnap for ransom

Similarly, he says that Khalil Ahmed allegedly received Rs780,000 for sending the son of a complainant to Greece, while Rashid Ali was paid a sum of Rs800,000 by a complainant for sending his brother and a nephew to Saudi Arabia.

The official says that both Khalil and Rashid had gone into hiding and did not send their “clients” to the promised destinations.

An FIA spokesman says that people had been repeatedly warned against handing over their travel documents to anyone for going abroad illegally, advising them to only adopt the legal way for the purpose.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024