Pakistan’s FIA dismantled a human trafficking ring at Karachi airport, arresting suspects who smuggled women abroad under false job promises for prostitution.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Pakistan dismantled a human trafficking network at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, uncovering a scheme that smuggled women abroad under false promises of employment, primarily for prostitution. The operation began when a young woman on a Dubai visit visa revealed she had been misled and was to be exploited. This led to the arrest of Shahzaib, a suspected smuggler who arranged her travel using funds from another trafficker, with PKR 420,000 paid for the journey, including PKR 40,000 for airport clearance. WhatsApp messages recovered from Shahzaib’s phone linked him to prostitution networks. The victim has been transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle for legal action, while Shahzaib remains in custody. In a separate operation, eight people were arrested for attempting to illegally travel to Albania by sea, each having paid around PKR 1 million. Authorities seized fake tickets and foreign currency, including Euros, U.S. Dollars, and Iranian Riyals, and identified agents from Gujrat, with accomplices in Saudi Arabia and Greece. The investigation is ongoing.