GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested at least 10 human traffickers, including the ‘most wanted human trafficker’ listed in the FIA Red Book, during a regional crackdown on Sunday. The operations targeted suspects in Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, and Hafizabad districts.
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Neetan Javed, also known as Furqan, was apprehended in Gujranwala. He is accused in at least 10 cases registered with the Gujranwala FIA circle in 2024 and 2025. According to the FIA, he collected approximately Rs34.1 million from clients promising work visas to Canada and Malta but failed to deliver and went into hiding.
The FIA has been conducting further raids to apprehend accomplices of the main suspect. In addition to Javed, nine other human traffickers were arrested, including Umar Farooq Butt, Malik Babar, Shamshad Ali Tauqeer Ahmed, Akhtar Javed, Naseeruddin, Abbas Ali, Iqbal Ali, and Munazam Hussain.
The FIA stated that these suspects had received at least Rs12.5 million from citizens under the pretext of sending them to Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Dubai (UAE), but did not fulfill their promises. The arrests were part of a wider crackdown to curb human trafficking and exploitation in the region.
Cases have been registered against all the suspects, and investigations are ongoing. FIA officials said further operations are planned to identify and detain other individuals involved in human trafficking networks.
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Authorities emphasized that such actions aim to protect citizens from exploitation and disrupt organised trafficking operations in Punjab.