ISLAMABAD: A Turkish girl whose name had been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) managed to fly back to her country on Monday, apparently in collusion with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s immigration section, sources told Dawn.

Serpil Elick was among the girls against whom a case had been registered for underage prostitution and illegal stay in Pakistan.

Director FIA Islamabad zone Inam Ghani told Dawn that immigration official Irfan Hussain, who let the girl travel out of the country, had been suspended and a departmental inquiry ordered against him.

He said the girl had been exonerated by the court on production of her passport bearing a valid visa and proving that she was not underage. He, however, said her name was still on the ECL and she should not have been allowed to leave the country.

This was the second incident in less than three weeks. An Uzbek girl, Cherinka Aksan, was also allowed to flee the country on March 25 and Inspector Mehar Tasneem of the FIA’s anti-human trafficking cell was suspended for negligence.

A departmental inquiry showed that Tasneem never requested the interior ministry to put Aksan’s name on the ECL and failed to caution the airport authorities against the possibility of her escape.

The FIA had arrested Aksan along with seven other Uzbek girls following a raid in an upscale Islamabad neighbourhood on February 17. A case was registered against them after they failed to produce any valid documents to verify the reason for their stay in the country. After Aksan’s escape, the names of the other seven Uzbek girls were placed on the ECL.

On January 30, two other Uzbek girls - Svetlana Yashkina and Allina Gilayzova - entered Pakistan without undergoing immigration, leading to the suspension of five immigration officials.