FAISALABAD, Oct 3: The Federal Investigation Agency claimed on Friday to have arrested leader of a human traffickers’ gang.

Talking to newsmen, FIA Deputy Director Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan said a special team had arrested Azhar Shabbir, a notorious human smuggler, who had received huge amounts from people to send them abroad.

He said a case had been registered against the suspect under section 17/22 of the Immigration Ordinance on the report of a victim, Jafar Husain.

He quoted Jafar as reporting that the suspect had received Rs117,000 from him on the pretext of sending him to Korea for employment, but he failed to do so.

“Investigation is under way,” said the FIA official, who hoped that the agency would get vital information from the arrested man and get to the smugglers’ racket.

Mr Iqbal said heads of the raiding teams had been directed to arrest the maximum possible human traffickers during the ongoing campaign.