Three Germany-bound female passengers offloaded as FIA probes visa scam

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has offloaded three women passengers at Karachi airport after uncovering an alleged Germany student visa fraud scheme, an FIA spokesperson said on Monday.

According to the spokesperson, FIA Immigration officials stopped three women — identified as Nida, Gulnaz, and Aqsa — on suspicion of carrying suspicious educational documents.

Nida and Gulnaz were travelling on German student visas, while Aqsa held a German residence permit.

During immigration clearance, Nida and Gulnaz were unable to provide satisfactory information about their academic programmes or their proposed studies in Germany. Both reportedly admitted that they had not received education from any college or university in Pakistan.

Further investigation revealed that Aqsa had been residing in Germany for the past 10 years and was allegedly facilitating visa processing, blocked account arrangements, and the preparation of educational documents for prospective applicants.

According to the FIA, a search of Aqsa’s mobile phone led to the recovery of suspicious mark sheets, academic records, signatures, and other material indicating the alleged preparation of forged educational documents.

Investigators also identified a Karachi-based agent, Humayun, who allegedly provided fake educational documents to the passengers in exchange for Rs150,000 per person.

The FIA said all three women were offloaded and transferred to the agency’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) in Karachi for further legal action.

An investigation into the matter is underway, the spokesperson added.