QUETTA: Bela police foiled a human smuggling attempt and arrested 15 illegal migrants and their three facilitators, officials said.

According to SSP Hub Mirza Bilal Hassan, police teams led by the Bela station house officer conducted raids on intelligence reports about human smuggling through infrequent illegal routes.

He said 15 suspects, who intended to cross the border through a route locally known as the “dunki route”, were arrested during the operation.

Police also seized three auto-rickshaws and arrested their drivers, who were allegedly using the vehicles to transport illegal migrants towards the border area for onward crossing. The arrested migrants belonged to various districts and areas, including Gujranwala, Sahiwal and Hub. Legal proceedings have been initiated against all arrested persons. Further investigation is under way to identify and bring to justice the human smuggling network.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2026