231 foreigners picked from plaza sent to Adiala, Attock jails

In Rawalpindi, around 231 foreigners detained by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) were moved to Central Jail Adiala and District Jail Attock on Sunday. The majority of the detained, who were primarily Vietnamese, numbered 205 and were transferred to Adiala, while the remaining 26 were sent to Attock, all under stringent security measures.

Initially, a court had ordered their 14-day judicial remand, but the suspects couldn't be transferred to any jail. Post the remand period, the detainees will be brought before the court for further legal actions.

A total of 372 foreigners were apprehended during two separate operations by FIA and NCCIA at a private housing society plaza. The agencies also confiscated their gadgets, such as mobile phones and laptops, intending to return them post-deportation. The remaining 141 foreigners are also expected to be relocated to the same jails. Once legal proceedings conclude against the foreigners, they will be deported to their native countries, according to sources.

Post-detainment at the commercial building in Islamabad, where they were held, the structure was declared a sub-jail. A notification was issued by Islamabad Commissioner about this. Due to the large number of detainees, they were not moved to jails immediately after their arrest. The Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of FIA Islamabad Zone raided the plaza on Wednesday night, registering a case against 258 foreign nationals for visa violations and operating unauthorized call centers, under section 14 of the Foreigners Act.

Following the FIA raid, NCCIA conducted a raid at an alleged call center in the same building, detaining 114 foreigners, comprising 111 Chinese and three Vietnamese, for earning financial gains through immoral online activities. Due to the large number of suspects, they were unable to bring all before the court right away. Instead, they were presented via video link to the court of Judicial Magistrate Naseeruddin on Thursday. The court granted them a 14-day judicial remand for further investigation.

According to officials, FIA Islamabad Zone Director Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari received intel about the foreign nationals' presence at the plaza and their alleged involvement in running call centers and other illicit activities. Post verification, the FIA Anti-Human Smuggling and Trafficking Circle conducted the raid. It was discovered that the 258 foreigners, hailing from Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and other nations, had entered Pakistan under various visa types.

Their activities, however, did not align with the stated purpose of their visas. The roles of other individuals involved in this matter will be ascertained during the course of the investigation.