Four arrested in FIA crackdown on human trafficking ring tied to Libya boat disaster

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala Zone claimed on Wednesday that it had arrested four individuals, including a notorious human trafficker, for their alleged involvement in the tragic Libya boat incident.

According to an FIA spokesperson, the suspects—Imran Hussain aka Mani, Muhammad Ijaz, Imran Saqib, and Rizwan Khadim—were arrested from various locations in Gujranwala and Gujrat. The suspects were allegedly involved in the illegal transportation of citizens abroad for exploitative purposes.

Imran Hussain, also known as Mani, is a key figure in the Libya boat tragedy and had been listed as one of the most wanted human traffickers in the FIA's Red Book. He was a member of an international human trafficking syndicate and had six cases registered against him at the Composite Circle Gujrat.

Hussain extorted Rs 2.4 million from each of six victims in connection with the Libya boat incident. The victims were initially sent from Pakistan to Egypt, Dubai, and then Libya on visit visas. In Libya, they were held in safe houses before being sent by boat to Europe, where they tragically perished in the boat accident.

Another trafficker, Muhammad Ijaz, extorted 900 Euros and Rs 900,000 from a citizen by promising employment in Italy. Meanwhile, Imran Saqib collected Rs 3.7 million from a complainant with the false promise of securing jobs for the victim’s sons in Germany. Instead, he sent them to Saudi Arabia, where they were subjected to torture, and the traffickers continued to demand large sums of money from them.

Rizwan Khadim, another key trafficker, extorted Rs 2.7 million from a victim, promising employment in Spain. However, he failed to fulfill this promise and went into hiding after taking the money.

The arrested individuals are currently under investigation, with further raids being conducted to apprehend other suspects involved in the racket. Director of Gujranwala Zone, Abdul Qadir Qamar, stated that all available resources are being used to track down the remaining suspects.

Earlier this week, the FIA also foiled a human trafficking attempt at Jinnah Terminal, arresting four individuals, including a travel agent linked to an Indian contact in Azerbaijan. The agent had promised to facilitate the travel of three young men to Azerbaijan, with the ultimate goal of sneaking them into Europe via Poland using forged passports and visas.

The arrested individuals—Haseeb Ahmed, Qaiser Ahmed, Usman Ali, and agent Abdul Shakoor—had come from Faisalabad, Chiniot, Gujranwala, and Nankana Sahib. Shakoor had made arrangements to smuggle them for a fee of Rs 1.4 million per person, receiving Rs 250,000 as an advance from each traveler.

An initial investigation had revealed that key evidence was recovered from Shakoor's mobile phone, which showed he had secured Azerbaijani visas for the suspects through a travel agency named Zam Zam Travels, based in Shangla Hill.

Shakoor had been in contact with an Indian agent, Gautam Sharma, residing in Azerbaijan, who was supposed to facilitate the illegal journey from Azerbaijan to Poland.