AJK authorities arrest two more ‘human traffickers’

MIRPUR: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) authorities have arrested two more ‘human traffickers’, taking the total number of arrested suspects to 14, ARY News reported on Thursday.

DIG Mirpur told the media that two more suspects allegedly involved in human trafficking were arrested. The total number of arrested suspects has risen to 14 in AJK, he added.

A case was lodged by the AJK police at the Khuiratta police station. The arrested suspects were identified as Raja Rauf and Raja Shakeel Kiyani who belong to Bandli Khuiratta.

READ: Greece boat tragedy: Compilation of ‘human traffickers, agents data’ urged

The police officer said that the accused had illegally sent four persons abroad after receiving a hefty amount of money.

Crackdowns have been intensified across Pakistan against human trafficking networks after the deaths of dozens of Pakistanis in the Greece boat tragedy.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) obtained DNA samples from the families of 126 missing victims of the Greece boat tragedy, it emerged today.

Samples were submitted by the relatives of 52 victims in FIA Gujarat Circle and 46 affected families in Gujranwala Circle.

READ: FIA to launch crackdown on human smugglers in Sindh, Balochistan

Meanwhile, blood samples were also obtained from the relatives of 28 people of Kotli Azad Kashmir. Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Haq Nawaz said that total 30 persons of the Kotli, were on board the ill-fated boat and only two survived after the incident.

The DC said 24 of the missing people belonged to the Khuiratta Sub-division, three to Charhoi Sub-division and one to Sehensa Sub-division.

Seven of the 12 human traffickers, nominated in the first information report (FIR), including Muhammad Mehtab, Asif Khan, Manazer Hussain, Zaffar Mahmood, Assad Mahmood, Sohail Iqbal and Fareed Khan of the Kotli district had been arrested, while another trafficker Sajid, resident of Gujrat, was already in the custody of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), he added.

READ: Greece boat disaster: 800 were on board, says police probe report

Earlier, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General (DG) Mohsin Hassan Butt has urged the compilation of ‘human traffickers and agents data’ after the Greece boat tragedy.

Last week, an Italy-bound fishing trawler reportedly carrying at least 800 people — including hundreds of Pakistanis — capsized off Greece. Only 104 people are known to have survived and the chance of finding more survivors was seen as virtually nil.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has assured that the government would take strict action against Greece boat tragedy and an investigation report would be submitted within a week by duly fixing responsibility on those involved in negligence.