Over 416 human traffickers arrested in three months

ISLAMABAD: Over 416 human traffickers have been arrested across the country in the lst three months.

According to the documents shared by the interior ministry, during the raids, 24 major human trafficking gangs were also dismantled and 17 high-profile traffickers were among those arrested.

Six traffickers listed in the Red Book have been apprehended, the documents said. 

According to the documents, these traffickers were accused of illegally smuggling over 10,000 Pakistanis abroad in the past five years. 

Also read: Human traffickers involved in Greece boat accident arrested

In the last two years, more than 500 Pakistanis have died in five migrant boat accidents.   

The documents said that properties worth over Rs7 billion linked to human traffickers have been seized. 

The documents said that more than two dozen red warrants have been issued through Interpol while over a dozen MLAs (mutual legal assistance requests) had been sent to gather evidence and apprehend traffickers. 

Bank accounts worth millions of rupees linked to human traffickers have also been frozen.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appreciated the Federal Investigation Agency and the Intelligence Bureau for nabbing the notorious leader of the Jajja gang involved in human trafficking.

Talking to the officials in Islamabad on Sunday, he directed to further intensify operations against human traffickers.

The prime minister said that people involved in the heinous crime of human trafficking not just cause a loss of precious human lives but also damage the country’s global repute.          

He awarded cash prize worth Rs1 million each to the officials who were part of the operation against the gang.                            

The Jajja gang leader, Usman Jajja, is one of the main characters responsible for the deaths of Pakistanis in the Greece boat accident last year.

During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed about the ongoing operations by the FIA and the IB to prevent human trafficking.