RAWALPINDI, June 17: Egyptian authorities have caught five Pakistani nationals for travelling on forged documents and are deporting them, sources told Dawn. The sources said since the five, hailing from Gujrat and heading for Europe, had no money on them, the Egyptian authorities asked the Pakistani embassy in Cairo to buy their tickets back home.

The embassy in turn wrote to the Foreign Office and the immigration and passport authorities in Islamabad to ask the illegal immigrants’ families to arrange the tickets.

The five Pakistanis detained by the Egyptian authorities at Alexandria airport on June 8 were identified as Abdul Samiullah, son of Abdullah Khan (passport No KD-527352); Talat Masood, son of Mohammad Ilyas (KB-866079); Sohail Akbar, son of Naveed Akbar (KC-949979); Sajjad Ahmed, son of Niaz Ahmed (KE-853016); and Saqib Ali, son of Mohammad Azam (KE-431118).

Despite the numerous measures taken by the government to curb human trafficking, like posting of computer-skilled staff at immigration counters and creation of Anti-Trafficking Unit at FIA Headquarters, unscrupulous elements find ways to circumvent them. These measures are operational at the country’s seven airports, two seaports, one railway station and two land crossings.