Arrested at Karachi airport after profiling reveals insufficient funds; network of agents revealed during interrogation
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). PHOTO: FILE
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) landed 23 passengers at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on Friday. An FIA spokesperson said the individuals were attempting to travel to Malaysia on visit visas with the intention of working illegally.
The passengers, traveling on flight D7-109, admitted during interrogation that they were planning to extend their stay and work illegally in Malaysia. They came from various areas including Karachi, Lower Dir, Mardan, Swat, Bajaur, Bannu, Gujrat and Peshawar.
Read: 66,154 air travelers disembarked this year, FIA tells NA
The investigation revealed that the passengers were traveling through an agent, Muhammad Owais, who said the visas were obtained by a passenger, Waseem Khan, through another agent named Stefan. Payments for visas were made by bank transfer.
Immigration checks revealed that the passengers did not have sufficient funds and failed to provide mandatory bank statements needed to obtain a Malaysia visit visa.
Learn more: LHC declares illegal disembarkation of passengers without written reason
The passengers were handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Karachi for further verification and legal action.
The FIA told a parliamentary panel this week it had disembarked more than 66,000 passengers this year to stop organized networks facilitating illegal travel. Earlier this year, the Lahore High Court ruled that immigration officials cannot detain passengers based on verbal orders alone, following a series of unloading incidents across the country.
