GUJRAT/TOBA TEK SINGH: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested 10 human traffickers, including those involved in the recent Greece boat tragedy, during the crackdown against the human smugglers in Gujrat, Gujranwala, Wazirabad and Okara.

A senior FIA official in Gujrat circle told Dawn that FIA had arrested Mudassar Ali, son of Asghar Ali, of Nandpur, Jalalpur Jattan, in a case registered with FIA Gujrat.

Mudassar was actively involved in human trafficking. He had extorted Rs2.8m from the family of the deceased, Rehman Ali, son of Ehsanullah, a resident of Kamala Chak, on the pretext of securing employment visa for him to Greece. Rehman died in the boat incident and his body had returned to his native area around a week back.

Similarly, Ali Sultan of Kot Waris, district Gujrat, and Muhammad Naveed, son of Muhammad Aslam, resident of Rakh Bharoki, district Wazirabad, had been arrested for taking Rs2m from the complainant, Muhammad Mohsin, a resident of Mangowal, for sending him to Italy.

The FIA have also arrested the human traffickers Nazakat Ali, son of Muhammad Latif, for extorting Rs500,000 from the people for sending them to Libya. Another human trafficker, Farooq Adil, of Shadiwal village of Gujrat, was also arrested.

Muhammad Asif of Zafarwal, Narowal, was arrested by Gujranwala FIA circle in a case registered against him.

Meanwhile, a human trafficker was convicted by a special court in Gujranwala on Thursday.

The judge imposed a Rs30,000 fine on Allah Bakhsh in a case lodged against him.

The FIA Faisalabad circle arrested four human smugglers from Wazirabad and Okara allegedly involved in illegally sending people to Europe by the sea from Libya.

According to an FIA official, those arrested were identified as Arsalan, Abdul Ghaffar, Istikhar Ali and Mubashar Dhillon.

He said the suspects were members of an international gang and evidences had been found on their mobile phones in this connection.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2025