GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), during a crackdown in Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin districts, arrested five human traffickers, including one involved in physical torture of immigrants and extorting money from them in Libya in 2023.

Ten passports and cell phones with relevant data of illegal immigrants have also been seized from a travel agent. A senior official of Gujrat FIA circle said Rizwan Kanwal, son of Khan Muhammad of Qadirabad town of Mandi Bahauddin, was wanted in multiple cases. He, in connivance of others, had extorted huge amounts from those who wanted to go to Italy on an employment visa. Later, the suspect had sent them to Libya and detained them in a safe house where agents tortured them and received ransom.

Moreover, Rizwan tried to send the immigrants to Italy by ship but they refused to travel by sea and returned to Pakistan.

Another accused, namely Shafaqat Ali of Matwanwala village near Dinga town, has also been arrested in multiple cases.

Shafaqat had extorted Rs1.5m and Rs3.5m from Nisar Ahmed and Raza Hassan, respectively, for sending them to Spain.

However, he sent them to Mauritania where the agents told the passengers that they would go to Spain by boat. Both Nisar and Raza refused to board the boat and returned.

Meanwhile, two suspects, namely Hafiz Shahid and Muhammad Tahir Sohail, residents of Mangat tehsil of Mandi Bahauddin were arrested for extorting Rs4m from Ali Raza, son of Muhammad Mansha, resident of Managat for sending him to Spain. The suspects sent him to Mauritania where he was also told to board the boat for Spain but he refused to do that and returned.

Another human smuggler, Sajid Hussain of Kadhar, Mandi Bahuddin, was arrested in case number registered with FIA Gujrat.

The FIA recovered 10 passports were seized from the travel agency of the suspect along with two mobile phones.

Gujranwala Zone FIA Director Abdul Qadir Qamar said the crackdown on the illegal human trafficking networks had been accelerated across the region and human traffickers were being arrested with regard to a number of cases lodged with the FIA circles in Gujranwala and Gujrat.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2025