FIA arrests suspect in Faisalabad over alleged sex trafficking network

TOBA TEK SINGH: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday said it has uncovered an organised network allegedly involved in trafficking Pakistani girls abroad, particularly to Dubai, by luring them with promises of employment, and has arrested one suspect in Faisalabad zone.

According to the details shared by the agency, a team from the FIA Faisalabad zone, led by SHO Ajmal Hussain, carried out a raid on Sunday after receiving a tip-off. During the operation, officials arrested Aurangzeb Ranjha, a resident of Faisal Town in Tandlianwala.

The FIA said initial investigation showed that the suspect was an active member of an organised human trafficking network. The agency identified his alleged associates as Babar, Irfan and Tanveer, and said the group had been involved in sending Pakistani girls abroad.

According to the FIA, the accused would send girls to Dubai on the pretext of offering them attractive jobs. The agency said that after reaching Dubai, the girls’ travel documents were taken away and they were then forced into illegal activities, including commercial sex.

The FIA further claimed that the network had trafficked several Pakistani girls abroad for these purposes.

During the raid, the FIA team recovered three Pakistani passports belonging to affected girls from the suspect. Officials also seized two mobile phones, which the agency said contained objectionable material, including photographs of passports, visas and airline tickets.

A case has been registered against the suspect under provisions of the Passport Act 1974 and the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act 2018, according to the FIA.

An FIA spokesperson said operations were continuing to arrest the suspect’s alleged accomplices and agents in Pakistan and Dubai.

The development was announced by the agency after the raid conducted by the FIA Faisalabad zone on Sunday.

The FIA’s account of the case, including the alleged role of the suspect and his associates, was based on the agency’s initial investigation and statements issued after the arrest.