GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed to have arrested a suspected human trafficker, who is principal accused in the Morocco boat tragedy case reported in January 2025.
A senior FIA official told Dawn that the suspect,Qasid Ali alias Kashi Goraya, son of Khan Muhammad, a resident of Bohparah Kalan, was arrest was by a team of the FIA’s Gujranwala Zone from Nowshera Virkan area on Sunday.
He says Goraya is among the most-wanted human traffickers listed in the FIA’s red book and the prime suspect in Morocco boat tragedy case.
The suspect, he says, was wanted in FIRs 67/25 and 68/25, registered on January 1, 2025 under sections 17/22 Emigration Ordinance 1979 and 3/6 of the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act (PSMA) 2018, and actively involved in transnational human trafficking, extortion, forced labour and fatal illegal migration operations.
In December 2024, the accused, in collusion with his accomplices, fraudulently induced complainant Jabar Ahmed to send his son Abrar Hussain to Spain illegally, extorting Rs3.2 million from him.
The complainant said his son was trafficked through multiple countries and forcibly sent to Mauritania, where he suffered severe physical abuse, torture, and forced labour at the hands of the network being allegedly run by the suspect.
Later, under the pretext of onward sea travel to Spain, the accused cut off all communication with the victim’s family.
Subsequently, it was revealed through social media that Abrar Hussain tragically died when a boat capsized en route to Morocco. The incident was directly linked to the suspect’s criminal actions, the official says.
Similarly, he says, the accused deceived another complainant, Reham Din, son of Muhammad Ismael, promising to send his son, Sajawal, to Spain, fraudulently extorting Rs3.3 million from him.
The victim was trafficked to Mauritania, where he allegedly endured brutal torture and inhuman treatment. Later, it was confirmed that the victim died in the Morocco boat tragedy, demonstrating a consistent pattern of exploitation and criminal negligence. FIA Gujranwala Zone Director Muhammad Bin Ashraf says the accused was a key operator of an international human smuggling syndicate exploiting vulnerable individuals through deception, coercion and violence and multiple FIA inquiries further established his deep involvement in organised transnational crime.
He termed the arrest a major operational success for the FIA Gujranwala Zone in dismantling a dangerous human smuggling network, reinforcing the agency’s zero-tolerance policy against human trafficking.
Mr Ashraf says further investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected on the base of information extracted from the suspect.
Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2026
