ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration at Islamabad International Airport offloaded a passenger travelling to Turkiye over suspected misuse of visa and dubious travel documents. According to the FIA, during immigration clearance, the officer noticed contradictions in the passenger’s travel documents and stated purpose of travel on the basis of profiling.
The passenger failed to give a satisfactory justification for travelling to Turkiye and was referred for secondary profiling. During detailed checking of documents and mobile phones, it transpired that the passenger had obtained an NGO / COP31 visa for Rs1.15 million through an agent.
The agent had allegedly assured him that he could also work in Turkiye on the said visa, which was against the visa conditions.
Further investigation revealed that the passenger was not even a member of the HOPE NGO. WhatsApp chats and mobile data analysis provided important evidence of his links with the agent and the alleged plan to misuse the visa.
Investigators also found that the agent had allegedly instructed the passenger to pay Rs150,000 as a bribe to FIA officers to get immigration clearance an attempt to influence legal proceedings. After being offloaded, the passenger was handed over to FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Islamabad, for legal action and investigation.
FIA Islamabad Zone said it was committed to effective action against elements involved in fake visas, illegal immigration and human smuggling, and advised citizens to obtain visas only through authentic sources and avoid falling prey to illegal agents. Iftikhar A. Khan