GUJRANWALA, May 6: The Federal Investigation Agency passport cell claimed on Saturday to have arrested seven human smugglers involved in sending a number of youths to Oman and Muscat by sea.

The FIA passport cell launched an operation ‘Harpoon’ and raided the residences in Daska, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and Gujranwala from where they arrested Tanvir Ahmad, Naseer Ahmad, Mushtaq Ahmad, Gulzar Ahmad, Latif Mehr, Muhammad Shafi and Muhammad Sarwar.

FIA passport cell deputy director Akram Naeem Bharoka and assistant director Aqeel Qureshi said these human traffickers received Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 from each boy for sending him to Gulf states by boats. While some of them were drowned and captured, a majority of them was deported by these states.

They said 180 human traffickers were operating in Gujranwala and its contiguous districts — around 100 in Sialkot alone, pledging that they would be arrested very soon.

PROTEST: The city and district PPP jointly set up a protest camp outside the district courts against price hike and unemployment here on Saturday.

Divisional coordinator MNA Imtiaz Safdar Warriach, district president Abdullah Virk, city president Lala Idris, MPAs Zahir Pervaiz, Lala Shakilur Rehman, District Bar Association president Ilyas Rehan, former president Saifullah Cheema, Advocate Sheikh Eizad Masood and other leaders participated it.

They criticised the government for promoting price-hike and demanded to reduce the prices of necessary articles.

PRISONER DIES: A prisoner died mysteriously in his barrack on Friday night.

Reports said Khalil Ahmad, of Baghbanpura, went to his barrack in a local prison after having his dinner and was found dead at midnight. The body was handed over to his heirs by the jail officials.