Travel fraud: 25 jailed for fake UK visas, 3 others held

ISLAMABAD: A local court on Saturday sent 25 students, who attempted to settle in the United Kingdom (UK) using fake visas, to jail on judicial remand.

The accused were presented before Judicial Magistrate Ahmed Shehzad Gondal, where the court was informed that they had tampered with passports in an attempt to enter and settle in the UK illegally. 

During the hearing, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) requested an extension of the suspects’ physical remand. However, the court rejected the plea and sent all 25 students to jail on a 14-day judicial remand. 

The accused also submitted post-arrest bail applications. The court issued notices to the parties involved and adjourned the hearing until March 24, seeking legal arguments from both sides in the next session. 

Meanwhile, FIA Immigration conducted a raid at Sialkot Airport, arresting three passengers, including two women, on charges of document forgery and involvement in begging. 

According to the FIA spokesperson, the arrested individuals were identified as Sughran, Zulekha Jafri, and Muhammad Shahzaib. The two women had arrived in Pakistan from Iraq on emergency passports and were allegedly involved in begging there. 

Initial investigations revealed that the women had illegally travelled to Iraq via Iran using land routes. However, FIA’s database did not show any official record of their departure from Pakistan. 

Additionally, Muhammad Shahzaib was arrested for attempting to travel on forged documents. He had arrived in Pakistan from Saudi Arabia on flight PK-244 and was flagged during immigration clearance. 

Authorities found that the Netherlands visa on Shahzaib’s passport was counterfeit. He reportedly aimed to migrate to Europe and had paid 60,000 Saudi riyals to an agent named Shafiq Butt, who facilitated his travel. 

The FIA has transferred the accused to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Gujranwala for further investigation.