QUETTA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two absconding suspects allegedly involved in sending people illegally to Iraq.

According to an FIA spokesperson, the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) Quetta conducted a raid in Hafizabad and apprehended the two suspects, identified as Basharat Naseem and Ali Sohail. Both had been wanted by the AHTC since 2023, and several raids had earlier been carried out to trace them.

Initial investigations revealed that the suspects had attempted to smuggle three citizens out of Pakistan to Iraq through illegal means. The victims were intercepted and arrested while trying to leave the country unlawfully.

The suspects had allegedly demanded Rs280,000 per person for facilitating travel to Iraq and had collected Rs100,000 in advance from each.

The arrested men are now under investigation.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2025