GUJRANWALA, Feb 27: The FIA passport cell on Sunday claimed to have arrested two ring leaders of human smugglers after a brief encounter and recovered passports and other documents from their possession.

On a tip-off that the accused were present at their hideout at Rahwali and Kaka Meter, Wazirabad, an FIA team raided there and arrested them after a brief encounter. The raiding team also recovered a car, pistols, passports and other documents from their possession.

Both the arrested accused had been wanted to interior ministry for the last one year. The FIA director-general announced cash prizes and commendation certificates for the raiding party.

Reports said that accused Sabir Husain alias Saifullah Warraich of Dilawer Cheema, Wazirabad, had received Rs4 million from 40 youths to send them to Greece. Later, the youths were handed over to agents in Iran and Turkey. However, the border security forces in Turkey caught 32 of them and deported them to Pakistan.

One of the youths drowned in a river while the seven others are still missing. The deported youths identified their drowned fellow as Muhammad Ashraf of Randhir Morr, Daska.

Similarly, another accused Agha Inayat Ali had also received millions of rupees from 72 youths to send them to Greece. He also handed over the youths to his agents in Turkey, who were caught by security forces there and were deported to Pakistan as well.

CONTROL ROOMS: The Gujranwala Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education on Sunday set up 18 control rooms in the region to monitor the matriculation annual examination beginning on March 5.