GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claims to have arrested at least six more “human traffickers” involved in illegally sending people to Libya, who later died in a boat accident there.

So far 10 alleged human traffickers, mainly belonging to various parts of Gujrat district, have been arrested by the FIA after registration of cases against them.

Gujrat FIA Deputy Director Ghulam Sarwar Warraich told Dawn that a goldsmith, Saeed Ilyas of Gujrat city, Obaidullah of Mararrian, Manshaullah of Bojhpur, Hasham of Kharian and two others had been arrested in connection with the cases lodged against them.

He said that two main suspects — Hamza Saeed and Afaq — living in Libya, had been “handlers” of the human traffickers, and efforts were being made to repatriate them through legal process.

Mr Warraich said the arrested traffickers were being investigated by the FIA officials as they had received around Rs2 million from the families of the boat tragedy victims to send them Europe illegally.

Official sources said that so far bodies of 14 victims; eight of them belonging to Gujrat, two from Bhimbher district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and one each from Gujjar Khan and Muridke, had arrived in Pakistan and buried in their native areas during the last week.

However, they said, six of the victims could not be traced so far and it was not known whether they died in the boat tragedy.

According to the sources, eight of the illegal immigrants had been in the custody of the Libyan authorities since the boat accident occurred on February 23 the last.

They said more arrests were expected as search was underway for the persons involved in the racket to initiating legal proceedings against them.

An FIA official said that Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhelum and Wazirabad districts had been among the “hot spots” of human trafficking as a majority of the expatriate Pakistanis settled abroad belonged to these districts. Some of these expatriates extend financial and logistical support to their friends and relatives in settling abroad, he added.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2023