GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claims to have arrested five human traffickers, including a most wanted on FIA Red Book in connection with the June 2023 Libya shipwreck.

A sum of Rs3 million has been recovered from another human trafficker of Gujrat. A senior FIA official told Dawn Zubair Mahar of Sook Kalan village near Gujrat city was apprehended by FIA’s Gujrat circle in a raid.

The accused, he said, was wanted in multiple cases lodged with FIA’s Gujrat police station. He was included in the Red Book 2023 as the most-wanted trafficker.

In 2023, Zubair and his accomplices extorted Rs2.4m each from eight Pakistanis intending to migrate to Europe.

These individuals were initially flown to Libya via Dubai and Egypt. Once in Libya, they were held in a safe house under deplorable conditions before being transported by a boat to Italy. Tragically, the boat carrying them and others sank and all aboard were presumed dead. The FIA also arrested four other human traffickers accused of sending illegal immigrants to African countries.

The agent, namely Syed Husain Shamim Zaidi of Kashmir Mohalla, Mandi Bahuddin, has been arrested in two cases.The accused extorted an amount of Rs 2,200,000 from the complainant for sending her brother to Italy on an employment visa. Later they were tortured and stranded in Azerbaijan. From where they escaped and came back to Pakistan.

Similarly, trafficker Chaudhary Muhammad Younas of village Dhoda Shareef, Gujrat has been arrested. The accused has extorted an amount of Rs1.8m from the complainant, Abdul Ghafoor of Gujrat, for sending his son, Shumail Ahmed, to Italy for employment. Later on, the accused sent his client to Libya. The intending emigrant returned Pakistan.

During initial interrogation, the accused confessed to sending almost 10 other intending immigrants to Libya and extorted around Rs 2.5 million from each.

On his disclosure, a raid was conducted at his brother’s residence where he had kept the amount. The raid yielded Rs3m cash.

The other arrested suspects include Nabi Khan of Qasim Abad village of Gujrat and Nasir Iqbal of Rajaya Haiger near Phalia town of Mandi Bahauddin district.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2025