FIA Gujranwala arrests 2 for allegedly trafficking Pakistanis involved in Greece boat accident
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested two people on Sunday, including a suspected human trafficker, for allegedly smuggling Pakistani nationals onto a migrant vessel, which capsized off the coast of Greece on December 14.
At least five migrants drowned after their wooden boat, carrying many Pakistanis, capsized off Greece’s southern island of Gavdos, the coastguard said, with witnesses saying many were still missing as search operations continued.
The number of Pakistanis killed in a Greek shipwreck rose to four on December 16, the Foreign Office said, additionally confirming that there were 47 Pakistani survivors.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed authorities to take solid action against human trafficking and ordered the immediate implementation of the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) to monitor international travellers.
“The recurrence of such incidents is due to the sluggish actions against the people involved,” he added.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the FIA booked four alleged human traffickers and reportedly detained two suspects from Sialkot and Gujrat.
According to an FIA press release issued today, FIA Director General Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir ordered a crackdown against elements involved in the Greece boat accident.
The release stated that two suspects had been arrested and were identified as Saeed Ahmed and alleged human trafficker Mohammad Aslam.
“The suspect (Aslam) is an operative of an international gang involved in human smuggling,” the FIA alleged in the press release. “The suspect extorted Rs8.5 million from the victims.”
According to the release, Aslam allegedly sent people to Libya with the help of accomplices, before attempting to send them from Libya to Greece by boat.
“The suspect was arrested from Gujranwala using modern technology,” the FIA said in the release.
In a separate operation, another alleged trafficker was arrested in Gujrat, according to the FIA. This suspect would allegedly produce false travel documents in exchange for “large sums of money”, the agency said.
Director of the FIA’s Gujranwala Zone Abdul Qadir Qamar said in the press release that the crackdown against those involved in the Greek shipwreck remains ongoing and that “all resources are being utilized to arrest the accused”.
He added that if there is strong evidence, the accused will receive the death penalty.