Pakistan: FIA arrests three human smugglers from Lahore, also accused of visa fraud
Dec 15, 2023
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 15 : Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested three individuals in connection with human smuggling and visa fraud in different areas of Lahore city, as reported by ARY News.
The FIA spokesperson emphasised that the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle launched a crackdown on human smugglers.
Three suspects, including an absconder Umar Shahbaz, Mehak Babar and Ahsan Elahi were arrested, according to ARY News.
Reportedly, the accused used to attract people with promises of overseas employment and extract substantial amounts from them. Absconder Umar Shahbaz extracted Pakistani Rupee (PKR) Rs 272,000 from a citizen and promised to send him to Dubai.
Meanwhile, the female suspect also received lakhs of rupees from various people in different cities by falsely promising to send them to Canada. Moreover, she had already been booked in three cases, according to ARY News.
Ahsan Elahi, another suspect, fabricated bank statements to obtain a visa at the Turkish embassy. He was then arrested on a complaint from the embassy, as reported by ARY News.
Deputy Director Anti-Human Trafficking Circle Lahore Riaz Khan has now formed a specialised squad to arrest human smugglers.
Crisis-hit Pakistan has a population of 240 million and an average salary of USD 1,500 a year. Moreover, its inflation has reached 33 per cent, which is the highest in decades, with the rupee depreciating rapidly and a sovereign default looming, as per Nikkei Asia.
In 2022, over 800,000 Pakistanis officially left the country in search of work, which marks the biggest outflow in the past five years.
Some desperate residents turn to illegal smugglers to move them to Australia, Europe and other top destinations, despite the risks, according to Nikkei Asia.
Adding to that, more than 20,000 people have died or gone missing who were trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.
"The dearth of economic opportunities available in the country compels more and more people to take their chances on such routes without being aware of the risk," the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan noted.
"The fact that there were possibly avoidable deaths, and (the accident) involved victims of human trafficking, should serve as a stark reminder to the state that it has failed to stem a long-standing and grievous human rights violation," it added.
