Victims from Gilgit-Baltistan were taken hostage near the border with Vietnam and forced to participate in illegal online schemes.
The Islamabad Zone of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a crackdown on people accused of holding Pakistani nationals from Gilgit-Baltistan hostage in Cambodia and forcing them into bonded labour.
According to FIA, Composite Circle Gilgit arrested two suspects, Adnan Aslam and Inamullah, who were allegedly involved in luring citizens abroad through fake job offers and trapping them in illegal online schemes. Aslam was arrested in Hunza, while Inamullah attempted to flee to China but was deported and taken into custody.
The FIA said investigators contacted the victims and their families to help identify the suspects. The detainees and their accomplices allegedly detained Pakistani citizens in a building near the border with Vietnam, where they forced them to work in online scams. The victims reportedly paid between $2,000 and $5,300 in ransom to secure their release.
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The agency said the suspects conducted online interviews to deceive victims with promises of employment, sending them to Cambodia from Lahore airport. Upon arrival, their passports were confiscated and they were subjected to forced labor, while agents associated with the network demanded large ransom sums from their families.
A 12-day physical remand has been secured for the arrested suspects and further investigations are underway. The FIA has also formed special teams to track down and arrest other members of the trafficking ring, saying all available resources are being used to pursue the case.
