Islamabad:The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration authorities have thwarted a major human smuggling attempt, recovering forged European documents ingeniously concealed inside a laptop.
According to an FIA spokesperson, a passenger identified as Muhammad Abu Bakar was offloaded from Saudi Arabia-bound flight under the pretext of performing Umrah. During initial questioning, the passenger failed to provide satisfactory responses regarding his pilgrimage, prompting officials to conduct a more detailed investigation.
Search of the passenger’s mobile phone revealed plans to use fraudulent documents to travel onward to Europe. Suspicion further intensified when officials inspected his hand-carried luggage and discovered a black laptop. Upon detailed examination, FIA officials found two fake Spanish documents hidden behind the laptop’s LED screen. These included a counterfeit Spanish residence card and a fake health card.
During interrogation, the passenger admitted to having struck a deal with an agent in Wazirabad to facilitate his illegal entry into Spain. Under the agreement, he was to pay Rs9.2 million to the agent. The plan involved traveling to Jeddah, destroying his Pakistani documents, and then proceeding to Spain via Turkey.
FIA Immigration officials acted swiftly to thwart the organised smuggling attempt. The passenger has been offloaded and transferred to the FIA Composite Circle for further legal proceedings.
