Two people traffickers were arrested in Gwadar de Baluchistan for trying to send citizens to Iran through illegal marine routes, the Federal Research Agency (FIA) said on Tuesday in a statement.
The human smuggling of Pakistan to Iran has been a persistent issue, with many migrants who try to cross by dangerous routes of land and sea in search of better economic opportunities or reach destinations in the Middle East and Europe, according to a report by the National Initiative against Organized Crime. Gwadar and other parts of Baluchistan are frequently used as key traffic points, where traffickers exploit vulnerable citizens charging strong sums for dangerous trips.
According to the FIA declaration, the “main operations” were carried out by the Circle composed of the Gwadar agency, through which the suspects were arrested from different areas of the district.
“The arrested suspects are involved in the sending of citizens of Pakistan to Iran through illegal sea routes,” he said. “The suspect extorted RS10,000 each of the victims.”
The suspects were arrested after being identified by the victims, according to the statement, and added that an investigation into the matter had begun.
Last week, FIA Baluchistan arrested five traffickers in Taftan and Lorealai for allegedly facilitating illegal trips abroad using false documents and charging millions of rupees to the victims.
The group was sending people to Iran and Turkiye through illegal routes and false documents, according to the FIA spokesman.
“Three of the suspects were listed as the most wanted by Pakistani embassies in Iran and Turkiye,” said the spokesman, adding that they had already sent a large number of people abroad illegally.
