Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala Zone has arrested nine accused, including two proclaimed offenders, involved in visa fraud and migrant smuggling during the crackdown, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.
According to the FIA spokesperson, accused include Umar Farooq Butt, Malik Babar, Shamshad Ali, Tauqeer Ahmed, Akhtar Javed, Naseeruddin, Abbas Ali, Iqbal Ali and Manzam Hussain.
Accused arrested from different areas of Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sialkot and Mandi Bahauddin.
Arrested accused Umar Farooq Butt extorted Rs1 million by tricking a citizen into sending him to Italy.
Arrested accused Malik Babar extorted Rs 110,000 by tricking a citizen into sending him to Turkiye.
Arrested accused Shamshad Ali extorted Rs3.5 million by tricking a citizen into sending him to Italy from Libya.
Arrested accused Tauqir Ahmed extorted Rs620,000 by tricking a citizen into sending him to Italy.
Arrested accused Akhtar Javed extorted Rs1.8 million from a citizen by tricking him into sending him to Greece.
Arrested accused Naseeruddin extorted Rs3 million from a citizen by tricking him into sending him to Greece.
Arrested accused Abbas Ali looted Rs600,000 from a citizen in order to get an interview appointment at the Italian Embassy abroad, while arrested accused Iqbal Ali looted Rs650,000 from a simple citizen by promising him a job in Dubai abroad.
Arrested accused Manzam Hussain looted Rs380,000 from a simple citizen by promising him to send him abroad to Turkiye.
The accused looted a total of Rs 12.42 million. The accused failed to send citizens abroad, had gone into hiding after receiving huge amounts of money, and the scope of the investigation has been expanded after their arrest.
Reporter: Zahid Iqbal Rana