The Federal Investigation Agency carried out a major operation at Islamabad Airport and offloaded five passengers after uncovering a scheme to present adults as children to facilitate overseas travel. The FIA described the case as child travel fraud and said the action followed initial investigation and verification at the immigration counter.
The five passengers involved were identified as Bushra, Amjad Ali, Alizeh Shahin, Muhammad Adnan and Zeeshan Ali Khan. The group was attempting to travel to Hong Kong using Thailand visit visas. Authorities confirmed that Amjad Ali is the genuine son of Bushra while the remaining three passengers were falsely presented as her children.
According to the FIA, families of the passengers paid an agent 1 crore 50 lakh rupees each to arrange travel. That agent allegedly altered NADRA records and added the three passengers into the family record of an individual named Ejaz Ali to make them appear as children. NADRA entries for the three showed an address in Sawabi.
Investigators say the three passengers — Alizeh Shahin, Muhammad Adnan and Zeeshan Ali — originate from Sargodha, Attock and Khushab respectively. The FIA has obtained information about contacts involved in facilitating the passengers at the airport and taken into custody or questioned an official of the Pakistan Airport Authority who was involved in facilitation.
All five passengers have been transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Islamabad for further legal proceedings. The agency has widened its probe to include possible involvement of NADRA and passport officials as inquiries continue, the FIA spokesperson said.
