The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration exposed an organised gang involved in smuggling citizens to Europe via the sea route.
The agency detained five passengers at Karachi Airport who had arrived from Senegal, via Ethiopia, and made significant revelations during the investigation.
According to officials, the detained individuals included Iftikhar Ahmed, Naseer Ahmed, Rashid Farooq, Shamreez, and Saqlain Murtaza, all of whom hailed from various cities including Wazirabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala, and Sialkot.
Iftikhar Ahmed, one of the detained passengers, travelled to Senegal on a visit visa, while Saqlain Murtaza reached Mauritania via Dubai. The other three passengers initially went to Saudi Arabia on Umrah visas, after which the agent sent them to Mauritania.
The passengers were in contact with human traffickers, Mohammad Afzal and Ali Hassan, who promised to send them legally to Spain for a fee of 3.5 million rupees each. Upon reaching Mauritania, the trafficker attempted to smuggle them illegally to Europe. However, the passengers refused to undertake the illegal journey by sea and returned.
The detained passengers were transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle for further action.
