PESHAWAR, May 10: The Federal Investigation Agency on Friday night busted a gang involved in providing stolen blank passports to anti-social elements, and recovered 70 blank stolen passports from their possession.

The agency’s director Peshawar was tipped off that a well-organized and notorious gang was involved in providing blank passports stolen from various passport offices in the country to anti-social elements, an FIA official told reporters here on Saturday.

He said these passports might have been provided to terrorists and members of Al-Qaeda on receipt of huge payment.

A number of raiding parties were constituted to track and arrest the gang members.

A team, headed by assistant director passport cell, Inamullah Khan Gandapur, raided a restaurant at Bagh-e-Naran in Hayatabad on Friday night and arrested Gulab Khan, son of Qamar Din, resident of village Nisatta, Charsadda, Sajjad Ahmed, son of Dilawar Khan, resident of village Bahdar Killy, Peshawar, and Imtiaz, son of Abdul Halim, resident of village Sardar Ahmed Jan Colony, Peshawar.

They recovered 70 stolen blank passports from their possession. The FIA has taken a three-day remand of the accused, and registered a case.—APP