Gujranwala: In the aftermath of the Greece boat tragedy, a continued crackdown on human traffickers has led to the arrest of six more suspects.
According to the FIA, operations were carried out in connection with the tragedy, resulting in the detention of five notorious human traffickers, including Abdul Majid, Muhammad Naqash, Amjad Chhama, Muhammad Shabbir, and Hafiz Shahid Iqbal. The arrests were made in various regions, including Gujranwala, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, and Gujrat.
The suspects are accused of exploiting innocent citizens by promising to send them abroad illegally, charging them large sums of money. Among the arrested, Abdul Majid is allegedly involved in the recent Greece boat incident, with two cases filed against him. He reportedly extorted 42 lakh rupees from Fahad Khalid, a citizen, to smuggle him to Greece via boat. Authorities confirmed that the individual went missing in the tragic incident.
Similarly, Muhammad Naqash was found to have swindled 3.8 lakh rupees from a citizen under the pretense of offering a job in Malaysia. During the raid, Amjad Chhama was found in possession of four passports, while Hafiz Shahid Iqbal had two passports in his possession. The suspects had been collecting substantial amounts of money from citizens in exchange for promises to send them abroad.
Another suspect, Muhammad Shabbir, was arrested for fraudulently obtaining 3 lakh rupees from a citizen, promising to send them to Saudi Arabia. These individuals had failed to send citizens abroad, instead taking their money and going into hiding, but were later apprehended and are now under investigation.
Additionally, the FIA Islamabad Zone apprehended an absconding trafficker involved in illegally sending citizens to Europe via sea routes. The suspect, identified as Hassan Butt, was involved in trafficking people to Libya and had been on the run since 2022. He was arrested in a raid in Jalal Pur Jattan. The suspect, a former police employee, had collected large sums from citizens to illegally transport them from Turkey to Europe. Investigations are ongoing.
