Greece boat tragedy case: FIA Gujranwala arrests mastermind father-son duo among four agents

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala Zone has arrested four human smugglers, including the most wanted mastermind and his son, for their involvement in the Greece boat tragedy.

According to the FIA, the long-wanted suspect, Tahir Muhammad Khan alias Muhammad Khan, and his son, Abdul Wahid, were apprehended in Dinga, based on human intelligence. The FIA spokesperson stated that the accused had been evading the law for years despite multiple raids conducted to capture him. Tahir Khan is a notorious human trafficker and a proclaimed offender, listed as a high-priority target by the law-enforcement agencies. The FIA revealed that over 45 cases had been registered against him since 2016 in the Gujrat circle. Additionally, he was involved in firing at an FIA officer in 2019. In 2023, he recruited his son into the human smuggling network. A special team was formed for their arrest, and after months of relentless efforts, the FIA successfully apprehended the suspects. During the raid, the accused and his armed accomplices opened fire on the FIA team. In a subsequent operation, his son, Abdul Wahid, was also arrested. Both father and son were allegedly involved in the June 2023 Libya-Greece boat tragedy. The suspects deceived victims by promising employment in Italy and extorted large sums of money from them. Instead of ensuring safe passage, they sent them on perilous sea routes from Libya to Italy. The FIA stated that due to unsafe travel conditions, the boat met with an accident, resulting in the deaths of several Pakistani nationals. Survivors provided crucial information leading to the arrests. In separate operations, the FIA also arrested two more traffickers: Tariq Javed from Sabowal, Gujrat, and Talha Shaheen from Kharian. Tariq Javed charged citizens Rs400,000 each for illegal travel to Italy via Turkey, while Talha Shaheen extorted Rs2 million from a victim, falsely promising employment in Spain. Instead, he sent the victim to Mauritania and forced him into illegal sea travel. The victim refused and returned to Pakistan. Authorities have begun further investigations following the arrests.