Rs615m recovered from illegal visa agents in Islamabad in four months: FIA
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Islamabad Zone arrested 190 illegal visa agents and recovered Rs615.55m during the last four months in crackdowns on human smuggling and fraud. According to data shared by FIA Islamabad Zone, the action was carried out under the supervision of the director, FIA Islamabad Zone, by the anti-human trafficking circles (AHTCs) Islamabad and Rawalpindi.…
In the last four months, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad has arrested 190 illegal visa agents and recovered Rs615.55m, according to data shared by the FIA Islamabad Zone. The operation, overseen by the anti-human trafficking circles (AHTCs) in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, resulted in 1,543 FIRs registered by the two circles combined.
AHTC Islamabad led the crackdown, arresting 120 visa agents and recovering Rs411.05m, registering 875 cases. In contrast, AHTC Rawalpindi arrested 70 agents, recovered Rs204.5m, and registered 668 cases. The FIA remains committed to safeguarding citizens from fraud related to overseas employment and travel, taking legal action against illegal visa agents, and preventing human smuggling.
Citizens are advised to verify agents before engaging in any overseas employment or travel deals and to report any fraud or illegal activities to the authorities immediately. Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) claimed to have dismantled a cyber fraud network targeting foreign nationals.
The agency arrested three suspects, including a woman, who posed as bank representatives and officials of foreign law enforcement agencies to extort money. The suspects were apprehended after a raid on a private housing society, and mobile phones were seized. Further investigation is ongoing under provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and Pakistan Penal Code.
NCCIA Director General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi affirmed that actions against international cyber fraud networks will continue.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
