FIA arrests two Pakistanis for smuggling people into China for work

Islamabad: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two Pakistani nationals for allegedly smuggling Pakistanis into China for work.

The FIA said in a statement that they had arrested Asif Mahmood and Bilal Hasan, both implicated in the smuggling of Pakistanis from China to Hong Kong.

Acting upon directives from the Prime Minister’s Office, FIA teams probed 35 individuals engaged in trafficking, the statement added.

As a result of the investigation into the affected Pakistanis, the primary trafficker, Asif Mahmood, was identified and subsequently detained upon his return to Pakistan from China.

Following Asif’s identification, the key accomplice, Bilal Hasan, was also taken into custody, the FIA elaborated.

The accused individuals orchestrated an elaborate human trafficking network on both sides of the border, adopting the guise of businessmen to deceive immigrants.

Additionally, they provided formal training to facilitate immigration clearance for the immigrants.

Raids were conducted at various locations based on information obtained from the arrested suspects. The FIA seized numerous passports, laptops, and assorted documents during these operations, with bank accounts linked to human traffickers being frozen.

The FIA highlighted that substantial transactions, running into crores, occurred in the frozen bank accounts, accompanied by the establishment of fictitious companies.

The FIA statement emphasized that letters have been dispatched to relevant institutions concerning the registered fictitious companies associated with the accused.