The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) has arrested a seven-member gang allegedly involved in human trafficking and visa fraud during a major operation in Karachi.
According to the FIA, the raid was carried out on the basis of intelligence in North Nazimabad's Block L, where several members of the gang were taken into custody.
The accused allegedly collected hundreds of thousands of rupees from citizens by offering fake work permits for Italy, Qatar, Turkey and Serbia, promising overseas employment opportunities that never materialised.
Investigators said the gang operated under different company names, including Visa Nets, Grand Horizon, Al-Mansoor and Great Horizon, to deceive job seekers and extort large sums of money.
During the raid, FIA officials recovered several passports, laptops, files and forged travel documents. Weapons and police uniforms were also seized from the suspects.
According to the agency, the gang members allegedly impersonated police officers and used the fake uniforms to threaten victims into complying with their demands.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspects systematically targeted citizens through telephone calls before luring them with forged work permits and false promises of overseas jobs.
The FIA identified the gang's alleged ringleader as Ali, who, along with his accomplice Abdul Rehman, is accused of orchestrating the fraud and extorting money from victims.
The agency said it has launched a detailed investigation and is examining the recovered records to identify additional suspects, victims and the full extent of the network's operations.