Two suspected human traffickers arrested

LAHORE:Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore Zone intensified its operations against human trafficking and visa fraud, resulting in the arrest of two key suspects.

A FIA spokesperson said here on Wednesday that the teams conducted targeted operations in Lahore and Kasur, leading to the arrest of Zahid Mustafa and Amjad Bhatti. Zahid Mustafa, a wanted fugitive, was arrested for allegedly scamming a citizen with a fake Canadian job offer and embezzling a total of Rs3.99 million. The suspect had been on the run since 2024, with a case registered against him at the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Lahore. While, Amjad Bhatti ran a fraudulent employment scheme, deceiving multiple citizens with fake overseas job promises. During the raid, the officials recovered several Pakistani passports and counterfeit Spanish passports from their possession.

Neither of them could provide valid explanations of these documents. During investigation, both suspects had illegally collected passports from citizens without authorisation, but failed to facilitate their travel abroad. After taking large sums of money, they went into hiding to evade authorities. FIA Lahore Zone Director Sarfaraz Virk confirmed that operations against human traffickers have been intensified, with ongoing coordination with victims.