30 Passengers Offloaded at Karachi Airport Over Suspected Human Smuggling
Among those detained, Abid Ali, traveling to Saudi Arabia, was flagged on the IBMS list.
KARACHI: In a significant operation at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport late Saturday night, authorities offloaded at least 30 passengers suspected of being involved in human smuggling activities. Immigration officials said that many of the individuals were likely victims of trafficking, while others were detained for irregularities in their travel documents.
The suspects, who were bound for various international destinations including Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Oman, and Dubai, were flagged by the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) or found to have incomplete or fraudulent documentation. A number of the passengers were transferred to the Anti-Human Smuggling Circle for further questioning, while several were allowed to return home after their documents were verified.
Among those detained, Abid Ali, traveling to Saudi Arabia, was flagged on the IBMS list. Others, such as Salman Riaz, an employee traveling on an employment visa, were found to lack essential paperwork, including the required No-Objection Certificate (NOC). Several Saudi-bound passengers, including Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Khalil, and Mohammad Riaz, were offloaded for having incomplete documents, while Faiz, holding a visit visa, was unable to provide proof of sufficient travel funds.
In addition, five Umrah passengers—Iqbal, Imran, Mujahid, Imran, and Ijaz—were suspected of being involved in human trafficking activities. Authorities also detained a passenger en route to Azerbaijan on suspicion of links to smuggling operations in Europe.
Oman-bound travelers were also scrutinized, with Shaukat found lacking funds for his trip and several others, including Babar Khalil and Hamza Javed, flagged for incomplete work visa documentation. Aminullah, another passenger headed to Oman, was detained for holding two passports under his name. Additionally, Dubai-bound Saira Bano failed to provide adequate travel and accommodation details, raising concerns about her travel purpose.
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Among the international travelers were Nigerian nationals Daniel Saqib and Syed Bilal Hussain, who were found to be traveling without work visas. Tanzanian passengers Sadaf Mustafa and Muhammad Ijaz were also offloaded for lacking sufficient funds and hotel bookings.
The operation highlights the ongoing efforts by immigration authorities to curb human smuggling and protect vulnerable passengers from falling victim to trafficking networks. The detained passengers are being thoroughly investigated as authorities continue to monitor potential trafficking activities at the country’s major airports.
