FIA foils bid to smuggle four women under guise of Umrah

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has thwarted an attempt to smuggle four women abroad under the guise of performing Umrah, ARY News reported.

According to FIA officials, the women were being forcibly sent abroad for labor exploitation.

A suspect, identified as Asia, has been arrested for her involvement in the human smuggling ring. FIA spokesperson revealed that Asia is a former employee of the Punjab Police.

The women were being facilitated by an agent named Wasim Gujjar, who arranged for their travel and accommodation. FIA officials are currently interrogating the four women and the agents involved to gather more information.

In a separate incident, two passengers were arrested for attempting to enter the country on fake emergency passports. FIA officials have expressed suspicions about the citizenship of the arrested individuals.

Also read: FIA arrests Mauritania land route human smuggler in Faisalabad

Earlier, the FIA said that the land route agent in Mauritania, involved in human smuggling was arrested by its officials.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) disclosed that accused Mubashir Enayat had received 4.7 million rupees from a citizen assuring him a job in Spain.

Accused Mubashir sent the man to Senegal from Mauritania on a visit visa, officials stated. “The citizen refused to travel in a boat to Europe,” investigation agency officials said.

The FIA recovered a mobile phone and other evidence from the accused.

The agency is conducting raids to arrest other operatives of the human smuggling network, officials added. Seven Pakistani survivors of the recent Morocco boat tragedy have been repatriated to the country.

The survivors included Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Abbas, Mudassar Hussain, Imran Iqbal, Uzair Basharat, Shoaib Zafar and Aamir Ali, who hail from Gujrat, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujranwala districts of Punjab.