The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration at Karachis Jinnah International Airport successfully foiled an attempt by five passengers to illegally travel to Europe under the pretense of performing Umrah, the agencys spokesperson confirmed on Saturday.
According to FIA officials, the passengers, aidentified as Raheed Ullah, Abdul Hameed, Abdul Shakoor, Ismail, and Ahmed Ullahwere offloaded from Flight No. PA170 bound for Saudi Arabia after immigration officers found their travel intentions suspicious during clearance.
All five individuals hail from different areas of Bannu, Peshawar, Khyber, and Mohmand. Preliminary investigations revealed that the passengers were in contact with human smuggling agents based in Peshawar. They reportedly planned to travel from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and Libya, and then attempt to enter Italy illegally via the Mediterranean Sea.
The suspects had allegedly paid their agents Rs 4.5 million each, agreeing to pay an additional Rs 1.5 million upon reaching Libya.
Following their detention, the passengers were handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi for further investigation.
The FIA spokesperson reaffirmed the agencys commitment to combating human trafficking and urged citizens to avoid falling prey to fraudulent travel schemes promising illegal entry into European countries.
