FIA Multan human trafficking operations have led to six arrests in the Multan Zone, including two employees of the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco), in separate cases of alleged human smuggling, overseas employment fraud and misuse of authority.
The arrests were made by FIA Composite Circle Multan, Crime Circle Dera Ghazi Khan and Circle Bahawalpur between October 30 and November 6, according to information provided by the agency and reported by Dawn.
FIA Multan human trafficking: the Libya case
Dera Ghazi Khan FIA arrested Zahid Ahmad, a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan, on November 2 for his alleged involvement in illegally sending people to Europe, particularly Italy, through Libya.
A case was registered on October 31 under Sections 3, 6 and 7 of the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act 2018, read with Sections 18(B) and 22 of the Emigration Ordinance 1979.
The investigation began after Hammad Ahmed, also a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan, was deported from Libya to Pakistan on October 29.
The FIA alleged that Zahid, in connivance with an accomplice, Rizwan Ahmed Shamas, a Lahore resident, lured the victim with promises of lucrative employment in Italy and arranged his departure from Pakistan in October 2025.
Instead of facilitating his travel to Italy through legal channels, the suspects allegedly routed him through Nepal to Libya, where he was handed over to foreign agents.
The victim was allegedly subjected to physical torture, illegal confinement and inhumane treatment in Libya, while the agents repeatedly demanded money from his family. The FIA said the suspects allegedly extorted around Rs8.05 million from the family through cash payments and bank transactions in Pakistan.
Job fraud cases in Bahawalpur and Multan
In another operation, the Bahawalpur FIA arrested proclaimed offender Naseer Ahmad, a resident of Minchinabad, Bahawalnagar, on November 2 in connection with an overseas employment fraud case.
The suspect allegedly received Rs1.133 million from a complainant on the promise of arranging an employment visa and a job abroad but failed to fulfil his commitment. A case was registered under Sections 17 and 22 of the Emigration Ordinance 1979.
The Multan Circle also arrested Shabbir Ahmad Pasha, a Lahore resident, in a separate case. He allegedly received Rs600,000 from a complainant for arranging a Romanian work visa but neither fulfilled the promise nor returned the money.
In another case, Muhammad Akram, a resident of Vehari, was arrested on October 30 for allegedly receiving Rs300,000 from a complainant on the promise of arranging a Dubai work visa. The FIA said he failed to arrange the visa or return the money.
Two Mepco officials arrested
Meanwhile, the Multan FIA arrested two Mepco officials, SDO of Mian Channu First Subdivision Rao Muhammad Shakir and Line Superintendent-I Aamir Mushtaq, on November 2.
A case was registered against them under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 5(2)47 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The officials are accused of misusing their authority by illegally installing two low-tension electricity poles and issuing meter connections, besides facilitating unauthorised electrification in a housing society.
Further investigation is underway.
The pattern behind the arrests
These cases are not isolated. Just days earlier, the FIA uncovered a separate fraud in which agents took Rs7 million from citizens for fake Umrah visas. The method is the same in each case: a promise of work or travel abroad, money taken in advance, and then nothing delivered, or a journey that ends in danger.
The Libya route in the Dera Ghazi Khan case shows how far the danger goes. A man promised a job in Italy was sent through Nepal to Libya, handed to foreign agents, tortured and held while his family paid Rs8.05 million. He came home only because he was deported.
The law the FIA used against the traffickers, the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act 2018, was written for exactly this trade. But laws only work when the networks behind them are broken. Six arrests in a week is a start. The same week also saw a raid on illegal call centres in Lahore, and an Islamabad court has been hearing remand cases in a visa fraud matter. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency has also been active, having served a second notice on cricketer Mohammad Rizwan last month. The test is whether the accomplices, the agents abroad and the bank trails that carried the extorted money are followed to the end.
Frequently asked questions
Who did FIA Multan arrest?
Six suspects between October 30 and November 6: an alleged human trafficker, three men accused of overseas employment fraud, and two Mepco officials accused of corruption.
How much money was extorted in the Libya trafficking case?
Around Rs8.05 million, according to the FIA, taken from the victim’s family through cash payments and bank transactions while he was held in Libya.
What happened to the victim?
Hammad Ahmed was lured with a promise of work in Italy, routed through Nepal to Libya, handed to foreign agents, and subjected to torture and confinement. He was deported from Libya to Pakistan on October 29.
What are the Mepco officials accused of?
SDO Rao Muhammad Shakir and Line Superintendent-I Aamir Mushtaq are accused of illegally installing low-tension electricity poles, issuing meter connections and facilitating unauthorised electrification in a housing society.
