LAHORE, May 13: The Federal Investigation Agency claimed on Tuesday to have arrested three more travel agents, who had illegally sent people abroad from Gujrat, Gujranwala and Mandi Bahauddin.

The FIA had started crackdown on the travel agents in these districts after receiving complaints by people last month.

Those arrested have been identified as Sajjad Shah (Gujrat), Haji Allah Ditta (Gujranwala) and Inayat Ali (Mandi Bahauddin). The law-enforcers had retrieved Rs27,500, Rs450,000 and Rs70,000, respectively, from the accused.

The agency has so far arrested nine agents, who had sent people abroad allegedly through fake documents.

According to FIA Assistant Director (passport cell) Arif Bokhari, the campaign would continue till the end of June. However, the date could be extended according to the requirement of the operation, he added.

He said the agency had received a number of complaints by some people of these districts that they had been deprived of thousands of rupees by travel agents on the pretext of sending them abroad.

He said the FIA was hopeful to reach out more travel agents involved in this crime with the help of those arrested during the raids. The agency was arresting only those agents against whom it had concrete evidence, the official added.

A number of agents involved in human trafficking had reportedly shifted their business from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Kasur to Gujranwala, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin (especially tehsils Phalia and Malikwal), which were more suitable for their business.