KARACHI, Dec 15: Certain officials of the FIA’s immigration wing, allegedly involved in human smuggling, are learnt to have gone underground to avoid investigation against them.
A racket of human smuggling, involving the immigration personnel, was unearthed on Saturday by FIA’s Passport Circle, which arrested one of the agency’s constables, deployed at the departure lounge of the Karachi airport, and two suspected human smugglers.
Officials said that a Passport Circle team, headed by Inspector Mohammed Rafique Mughul, conducted several raids to arrest an ASI of the immigration wing. The ASI, Ahmed Khan Meerani, was posted as reader to the Assistant Director (Departure), Mohammed Zubair Pechuho.
They pointed out that the ASI had been booked in the case against those involved in sending jobseekers to Saudi Arabia on fake visas.
The investigators have seized record of the jobseekers smuggled out during the past two months, according to the officials who further stated that the record was being maintained by ASI Meerani in his own handwriting.
They revealed that certain officials of the FIA immigration, posted at the departure and arrival lounges of the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport, were directly involved in the racket. “The wanted officials have gone in hiding to avoid the investigation as the ministry of interior had directed the Passport Circle to effect their arrest without any delay,” they added.
A constable, Wahid Ali, has disclosed the names of at least half a dozen FIA officials, including inspectors and SIs, who were directly involved in the racket, according to the officials.
They said that the immigration staff would not take any action against a person returning to the arrival lounge after being deported for travelling on bogus visa/documents. Rather, they would set him free as they were also being paid their share by the smugglers.
According to the FIA, such human smugglers pay to the unscrupulous FIA officials Rs30,000 for each jobseeker bound for Saudi Arabia on fake visa. The arrested constable was also quoted as saying that his share from the amount was only Rs1,000 whereas rest of the money went into the pockets of his superiors.
The interior ministry has taken strong notice of the alleged involvement of the immigration staff in the human smuggling racket. Deputy Director of the Passport Circle Mohammed Malick has been directed to conduct a thorough investigation into the affair.
The suspected human smugglers, including the FIA constable, have been booked under the Immigration Ordinance-1979 and the Prevention of Corruption Act, according to FIA officials.
They said the chief of the Passport Circle had received a tip off about the some FIA officials’ involvement in the racket. A raiding party arrested one, Rizwan Ali, and seized nine passports having fake Saudi visas affixed in them.
The officials said seven jobseekers were scheduled to leave for Saudi Arabia on fake visas on Saturday, while two passports belonged to those who had been deported on December 7.
However, they said, the FIA immigration (Arrival) did not send the two deportees to the Passport Circle for legal action and let them go. The two passports contained exit stamps but no entry stamps.
