The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) Karachi has foiled an attempt to smuggle women abroad and rescued 33 women during a raid in the Saddar area.
The raid was conducted on the directives of the director of the Karachi Zone and the deputy director of the AHTC. Acting on credible intelligence, FIA officials raided two hotels near the Passport Office in Saddar.
During the operation, 33 women belonging to various districts of Punjab were taken into custody. Human smugglers and agents accompanying them were also arrested. Officials seized 29 passports and other relevant material from the suspects.
The initial investigation revealed that the women were being sent to the United Arab Emirates on the pretext of visit visas. The suspects allegedly planned to exploit them for prostitution and sexual abuse. The arrested suspects have been identified as Zia-ul-Haq, Imtiaz Ali, Farman Ali and Sakina Bibi. Three cases have been registered against the accused under the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018. Further investigations are underway, the spokesperson added
