FIA Arrests Travel Agents in Passport Fraud Case
The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) in Peshawar has arrested three people for allegedly helping Afghan nationals obtain Pakistani passports.
According to ARY News, Rahmatullah, Tariq Javed, and Abu Bakar were taken into custody by the FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle. They are accused of being part of a human smuggling network that sold Pakistani passports to Afghans for large sums of money.
The FIA is questioning the suspects and planning more raids to find other members of the network. Previously, some officials from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) were found to have issued Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) to Afghan nationals.
The investigation is nearly complete, with the FIA identifying officials who issued Pakistani ID cards to Afghans in exchange for bribes, often with the help of Pakistani families. The probe began after Majidullah, an Afghan national, was arrested for trying to fraudulently obtain a Pakistani passport.
The FIA has collected statements from NADRA staff and will soon take legal action against those involved. More arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
