FIA arrests five human smugglers from Gujranwala, Gujrat

ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) anti-human smuggling cell has arrested another smuggler from Gujranwala, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The FIA also arrested four human smugglers in Gujranwala.

Accused Rizwan Shah was involved in human smuggling and violence over the affected persons, a FIA spokesman has said. “He was also involved in illegal detention of his victims in Iraq,” spokesperson said.

“Accused Rizwan was used to kidnap his victims and demand more money from their families,” FIA stated. “There were viral videos of torture to his victims on social media,” spokesman said.

“FIA was conducting raids for last seven days to arrest him. He was operating a gang and raids being conducted for arrest of his accomplices,” FIA stated.

A case has been registered against accused Rizwan under the Emigration and Smuggling of Migrants Act, FIA spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, deputy director FIA Tariq Masood in Gujrat said that four more human smugglers have been arrested in respect of the Greece boat tragedy.

“Four arrested men have been Mohammad Waqar, Abdul Ghani, Mohammad Zubair and Fayyaz Shah,” he said. “Overall, 38 human smugglers have been affected so far,” FIA official said.

Arrested human smugglers were take large sums of money to send people illegally to Europe, he further said.

“Cases have been registered under anti-human smuggling law and money laundering against the four accused”, he added.

Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency had ceased bank accounts of 41 human smugglers, arrested in connection with the Greece Boat tragedy.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah earlier told the National Assembly that there were at least 350 Pakistani victims on an overloaded boat that capsized in Mediterranean Sea off Greece recently.