ISLAMABAD:
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) continued its raid on human traffickers on Sunday while detaining two more suspects, alleged to be responsible for last week’s Greece boat tragedy.
The FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Cell in Gujranwala arrested the suspects, identified as Muhammad Aslam and Saeed Ahmed, who are part of an international human trafficking racket.
According to officials, Muhammad Aslam is directly linked to the boat incident in Greece. He had allegedly extorted a total of Rs 8.5 million from the victims by sending them to Europe through illegal means.
The suspect, along with other members of the gang, initially facilitated the victims’ travel to Libya. He later attempted to send them to Greece by boat, during which the tragic accident occurred, leaving several victims missing. They said the FIA used sophisticated methods to track and arrest Aslam in Gujranwala.
In another operation, another human trafficker was arrested in Gujrat. This suspect was involved in creating false travel documents and charged considerable sums for these fraudulent services.
The suspects are currently under investigation and raids are underway to capture other members of the gang, officials added.
Gujranwala FIA Zonal Director Abdul Qadir Qamar said that following the directives of FIA Director General Ahmed Ishaq Jehangir, crackdown on human traffickers has been intensified.
Special teams have been formed to conduct raids and all resources are being used to bring the culprits to justice. No one will be allowed to endanger innocent lives and strong evidence will be used to ensure strict punishment for the accused, he said.
On December 14, foreign media reported that a wooden boat carrying migrants sank off the island of Gavdos in southern Greece, killing at least five Pakistanis.
In a separate incident, a Maltese-flagged cargo ship rescued 47 migrants from a ship sailing about 40 nautical miles off Gavdos, while a tanker truck rescued another 88 migrants off the small island in southern Greece. .
Following the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi to submit an inquiry report into the incident, directing him to identify and arrest the traffickers and ensure that they receive strict punishment for their heinous crimes.
Prime Minister Shehbaz urged that concrete measures be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
“Human trafficking is a tragic crime that claims many lives and makes numerous families suffer every year. Human traffickers are a cruel mafia that exploits the poor by deceiving them with false and ambitious dreams,” he said in a press release. issued by the prime minister. Home.
While chairing a meeting in Islamabad on December 20, Shehbaz also directed strict action against FIA officials involved in facilitating human trafficking.
