FIA cracks down on passport agent mafia, arrests 12 suspects

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 12 suspects in a crackdown on Pakistan passport agent mafia network in Lahore, ARY News reported.

As per details, people seeking to obtain Pakistan passports have been urged to remain vigilant after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) uncovered a network of fraudsters deceiving applicants and extorting money.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a major operation against the passport agent mafia, arresting two passport office employees and 10 private agents.

An FIA Lahore Zone spokesperson said the Anti-Corruption Circle carried out raids outside passport offices in Garden Town, Shahdara and Harbanspura.

The spokesperson said the arrested suspects belong to different parts of Lahore and were allegedly charging members of the public illegal fees under the pretext of facilitating passport applications.

The suspects are accused of promising expedited passport processing while demanding payments well above the officially prescribed fees.

During the operation, the FIA recovered several Pakistan passports, application tokens, bank challans, receipts and other evidence from the suspects’ possession.

Read more: FIA busts network issuing Pakistani passports to Afghan nationals in Karachi

The spokesperson added that cases have been registered against the arrested individuals and further investigations are under way. The FIA also said its crackdown against others involved in illegal activities outside Pakistan passport offices will continue.

Earlier this month, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Counter Terrorism Wing in Karachi carried out a major operation, exposing an alleged network involved in issuing Pakistani passports to Afghan nationals using fake documents.

According to FIA officials, the raid was conducted at a passport office near the Awami Centre in the Shahrah-e-Faisal area of Karachi.

During the operation, two individuals were taken into custody, while records were also seized and examined by investigators.

Officials said documents related to more than 70 suspected foreign nationals were recovered during the raid.

The FIA added that investigations are continuing to determine the full scope of the network and those involved in the alleged forgery operation.