GUJRAT: A notorious human trafficker of Sialkot, Usman Jajja, wanted as a key suspect in the December 2024 Greece boat capsize tragedy has been captured by the Federal Investigation Agency.

Director FIA Gujranwala Zone Abdul Qadir Qamar has constituted a six-member joint investigation team (JIT) being headed by the Gujrat assistant director whereas the other five members are from Gujranwala FIA circle.

The JIT has been assigned the task to conduct a detailed interrogation of Usman Jajja whereas FIA’s legal team will assist the team.

The additional director FIA Gujranwala circle has been directed to submit weekly progress on the matter.

Usman Jajja had earlier escaped the arrest after being released from Sialkot district jail on bail following the boat tragedy as his brother and female member of the family were also charged with being inv olved in sending the victims of boat tragedy from Pasrur, Sambrial and Sialkot.

A senior FIA official told Dawn that proclaimed offender Usman Ali Jajja s/o Muhammad Yousaf r/o Mohrikay Jajja, Pasrur tehsil, has been arrested in at least 19 cases i.e., 1096/24, 1123/24, 1124/24, 1137/24, 1150/24, 1152/24, 1133/24, 1105/24, 1122/24, 1106/24, 1116/24, 9/25, 10/25, 40/25, 41/25, 42/25, 43/25, 44/25 & 45/25 registered u/s 17/22 EO 3/6 PSMA of FIA Gujranwala.

The suspect is a member of the notorious Khurram Jajja group which is involved in Greece boat incident 2024. The suspect in connivance with co-suspects extorted a huge amount of Rs39.3 million on the pretext of sending 19 emigrants to Italy for employment but sent them to Libya where emigrants were subjected to torture and forced to board on ship which capsized in Mediterranean Sea near Greece resulting in death of five victims.

Official sources said that the suspect had fled to Gilgit-Baltistan after being released from Sialkot jail as he was arrested by the police in a case of violent clash and the tragic incident of deaths in Greece boat capsize occurred when he was in jail.

They said the suspect was involved in sending some victims of the tragedy to Libya for further proceeding towards Italy.

Meanwhile, the FIA claimed to have arrested at least three more human traffickers from Narowal and Gujrat during the crackdown.

A spokesman for FIA said the human traffickers namely Naeem Abbas and his father Deen Muhammad of Sankhatra tehsil Zafarwal, Narowal, have been arrested in case number 162/25 u/s 17/22 EO1979 3/6 PSMA of FIA Gujranwala circle.

The suspect, he said, had extorted a total amount Rs2.5 million for sending the complainant’s relative to Spain for employment but did not honour the commitment.

Similarly, the human trafficker Shabbir Ahmad of Kang Chanan village of Gujrat has been arrested in case number 44/24 U/S 17/22 EO 1979 of PS FIA Gujrat.

The suspect extorted an amount of Rs1.3m from the complainant on the pretext of sending him to Spain; however, he took the complainant to Mauritania but he neither honoured his commitment nor returned the amount.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2025