GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency claimed to have arrested seven more human traffickers, including two fugitives in the 2023 Libyan boat capsize, from its Gujranwala and Gujrat circles on Thursday.

The arrests have been made during the ongoing crackdown against human smugglers/agents in the FIA Gujranwala Zone.

An FIA team raided a medical center near Kangniwala bypass in Gujranwala and arrested Abdul Naqash, a resident of Bhano Pindi, Daska.

During search, two Pakistani passports were recovered from him. Beside, he already had a previous criminal record in the Gujranwala FIA. Irfan of Gulshan labour coloney, Gujranwala, was arrested in a case registered against him on 12-11-24. The accused and his accomplice had obtained an amount of Rs 2.2 million from complainant Usman Khan for sending his brother and cousin to Dubai for employment.

Human smuggler Khurram Shehzad of Mohallah Qila Janubi, Gujrat, was apprehended by the Gujrat circle. The suspect had been invovled in an act of trafficking a child to Libya, resulting in his tragic demise as he attempted to reach Italy. The agent had extorted an amount of Rs one million from the complainant for sending his brother to Italy.

Abdul Khaliq, another agent invovled in the 2023 boat tragedy, was arrested. The accused with the connivance of others extorted Rs 2.2 million from complainant for sending his brother to Italy on an employment visa and settling him there.

The Gujranwala circle also arrested Dawood of Daska for getting Rs 290,000 for sending complainant’s son Haroon Rasheed to Albania for employment.

Usman Sabir of Kamoki was arrested for extorting Rs 675,000 on the pretext of sending three relatives of the complainant to Saudi Arabia for Umra.

The FIA arrested Muhammad Raza of Bawli Khurd, Sara-i-Alamgir tehsil of Gujrat.

Similarly, FIA Gujranwala circle arrested Mehdi Hassan for getting Rs 130,000 from complainant for sending him to Iran.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2025