KARACHI, April 26: A racket of human smuggling to Iran via Balochistan was unearthed on Saturday when the FIA’s Passport Circle arrested 31 Bangladeshis and the driver of the bus they were travelling in near Hub Chowki.
Deputy Director of the Passport Circle Mohammed Malik told newsmen that a raiding party intercepted the bus (RSC-289) on tip off and found 31 suspected foreigners onboard.
On questioning, they told the FIA officials that their travel documents were with the driver. However, the driver denied having the same. The team seized 27 Pakistani passports concealed under the driver’s seat.
Mr malik revealed that all the passport were forged and photographs changed. Besides, the passports contained forged Iranian visas, he added.
During the preliminary interrogation, the suspects confessed that they were promised entry into Iran by different agents, including Dullah son of Abdul Aziz, who was also arrested in a raid on his residence.
Mr Malik said Dullah, along with 20 Bangladeshis, sneaked into Lahore some nine years back after crossing the border with India illegally. The 20-men batch was handed over to an agent who led it to Karachi.
The agent told the FIA investigators that he had gone to Turkey four years back by a launch through an agent, Jalal, and returned Karachi a few weeks later.
He disclosed that he indulged in the human smuggling business some six months back as sub-agent of Jalal. According to him, he was paid Rs1,000 for each intending illegal emigrant ready to pay Rs15,000 to Rs25,000 for the purpose.
Agent Dullah told the FIA that agents Faisal Baloch and Fayyaz Bengali arranged the forged travelling documents, including passports. He said the two agents also had contacts with the transporters, Mullah Jan Transport, Lea Market.
He named Javed, Al-Shaheen, Aslam Dandai and Akbar Transports and others claiming they were involved in the racket. Two employees of transporters, Shahmeer and Faisal, were assisting the agents, he added.
He said that upon reaching Mand Billo, the passengers were to be handed over to other agents, including Wajid Baloch and Khalid Bengali.
The arrested driver of the bus, which was impounded by the FIA, told the investigators that he had been driving buses of different transporters for the past 25 years on the route. He disclosed that Shahmeer had handed over the passengers’ passports to him and he was to pass them on to one, Ghani, at Mand Billo.
