Six Vietnamese deported from Lahore over suspicious travel documents

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) deported six Vietnamese nationals on Wednesday after they arrived at Allama Iqbal International Airport, saying their travel papers appeared suspicious.

According to the FIA, the passengers were sent back after officials found irregularities in documents presented by the group. The agency said hotel reservations shown by the travellers, who had arrived on visit visas, turned out to be fake.

The FIA further said the passengers were unable to explain where they were supposed to go after arrival. Their mobile phones were examined because of suspicion that they may have been in contact with scamming agents.

"Hotel bookings of passengers arriving on visit visas were found to be fake. They were unaware of their intended destination. Mobile phones were checked on suspicion of links with scamming agents. All chats were found deleted from their phones. Only one travel record to Cambodia was found," it said.

The agency said it suspected that such individuals could be linked to criminal groups active in Southeast Asia that defraud people through cybercrime.

In a separate statement, the FIA said organised networks operating in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia were luring Pakistanis through fraudulent employment offers, particularly for IT-related work, call centres and similar jobs, by promising attractive salaries.

According to the agency, some Pakistanis who travel there are later forced into unlawful activities, including cyber and financial crimes. The FIA said those who refuse can face violence, while their families may also be extorted. "Criminal syndicates operating in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia are targeting Pakistanis with fake job offers, especially in the IT sector – call center and relevant jobs, promising high salaries. However, after landing there, these Pakistanis are forced into illegal activities, including cyber and financial crimes. Those who resist face severe consequences, including violence and extortion from the victim’s family."

Consultancy owner convicted in visa fraud cases

Separately, the FIA said the owner of an immigration consultancy was convicted in 12 cases involving human smuggling and visa fraud and sentenced to multiple prison terms that will run concurrently.

The Special Court Central-II Lahore sentenced Zulqarnain Asad, owner of Global Citizenship Solutions (GCS), to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment in each of four cases and imposed a total fine of Rs 4.9 million, the agency said.

In another eight cases, he was handed 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in each case, along with a total fine of Rs 9.1 million.

The FIA said additional cases against Zulqarnain Asad were still pending before courts. It also said that earlier this month he had been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in each of four visa fraud cases.

Meanwhile, the agency said it also arrested a passenger identified as Adnan for allegedly travelling on fake documents while attempting to leave for Malaysia.