Islamabad

Eleven suspects allegedly involved in trafficking Pakistani people to Europe through West Asia (Middle East) and Africa were arrested by Pakistan authorities in the latest crackdown that comes in the wake of several losing their lives in the recent Greece boat tragedy.

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Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Riaz Mughal told Dawn newspaper that 10 “sub-agents” were arrested in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during the last 24 hours.

“The arrests were made after the police chalked out an effective strategy in the light of the information shared by the families of the victims about the persons who had trapped the victims into landing them in Europe against millions of rupees,” he was quoted as saying.

The accused have been booked under Sections 418 (cheating with the knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to a person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 322 (punishment for murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

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“They were sub-agents or agents of main human traffickers Chaudhry Zulqarnain, Talat Kiani, and Khalid Mirza, who belong to Kotli and Mirpur and are based in Libya,” Mughal said.

Used to charge around $8000

According to the police, these “agents” charged Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 million ($8000-$10000) from each person, and would fly them legally first to the UAE and then to Egypt and Libya.

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“From Libya, the illegal voyage started through the Mediterranean Sea.”

Greece boat disaster: Up to 500 people still missing says UN

“We are on the lookout for some other suspects as well,” Mughal said, adding that the arrested persons would be produced before a judicial magistrate on Monday for physical remand.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a statement said that among those arrested includes a “trafficking agent” involved in victims killed in the Greece boat tragedy.

The statement said that he was arrested upon identification by a victim’s family and a case was registered against him while further investigation was underway.

PM forms committee

The latest action comes after a boat carrying approximately 750 people capsized in open seas off Greece. Many Pakistanis are feared dead although the exact number has not yet been officially confirmed.

On Saturday, the Foreign Office said that 12 Pakistanis had been found alive.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a four-member committee to track down those involved in human smuggling.

The committee’s objective is to ascertain the facts of the Greece boat tragedy, identify loopholes and lapses in the legal/enforcement mechanism in Pakistan that “exposed precious human lives to the vagaries of human trafficking”, and analyse similar incidents in the past, a statement from Prime Minister’s Office said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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