The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Immigration authorities have thwarted an attempt to use Pakistan as a transit point for illegal travel to Europe via Azerbaijan at Jinnah International Airport, an FIA spokesperson said on Monday.
Two Bangladeshi nationals, identified as Raju and Shahid, were stopped during immigration clearance. The passengers had arrived in Karachi from Bangladesh on tourist visas. During the clearance process, immigration officials detected contradictions in their statements. The passengers initially claimed that they were visiting Pakistan to attend a wedding ceremony; however, further investigations revealed that the event was fake.
Officials recovered WhatsApp group chats and other evidence from their mobile phones, which exposed plans to travel onward via Azerbaijan. Electronic copies of Azerbaijani visas were also found on their devices.
Verification through the Immigration and Border Management System confirmed that the supposed host was not present in Pakistan, further strengthening suspicions. The findings indicated that Pakistan was being used as a transit point, with the ultimate objective of reaching Europe through illegal “Dunki route.” Both passengers were offloaded, and further legal proceedings are underway, the FIA spokesperson added.
