In the ongoing crackdown against outlaws, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has claimed to have arrested seven persons including alleged human smugglers, proclaimed offenders and accused involved in illegal business of Hawala and Hundi.
FIA official said the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of the Agency conducted a raid on tip-off and nabbed three people including Muhammad Nadeem and Ibrar Hussain resident of Faisalabad red handed running illegal business of Hawala and Hundi. The FIA also has taken into custody another person namely Awab Ali from the spot for sending Hawala amount Rs 80000.
He said FIA team also recovered a computer, laptop, USB drive, cheque books, deposits slips, Hawala receipts, cash Rs 276680 and prize bond of Rs 9900 from the possession of the accused persons.
The agency registered a first information report (FIR) no.358/16 under section 4'9'23 of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 against accused persons Ibrar Hussain and Muhammad Nadeem and started investigations. In another raid, the FIA team arrested accused namely M Akram and recovered 45 Pakistani Passports from his possession. During initial investigation, the accused confessed that in connivance with a person named Danish (co-accused) they were involved in smuggling people to Bangladesh on employment visa. The agency registered an FIR against him and started investigation.
The FIA also claimed to have arrested three proclaimed offenders including Atiq Anwar, Bashir Shahid and Farzam Ahmad. The Agency, following the directives of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, launched a countrywide crackdown in November last year against human traffickers. In this connection seven raiding teams were constituted, which have been conducting raids against human trafficking rings in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala and other areas of the country.