The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested 14 Afghan nationals during a raid on a hostel in Peshawar’s Tajabad area for using fake Pakistani identity cards.
According to FIA officials, the suspects had allegedly paid agents between Rs2.5 million and Rs2.8 million to acquire forged national identity documents. Investigators said the accused were planning to travel to Saudi Arabia using fake Pakistani citizenship documents.
Authorities also recovered counterfeit Pakistani passports from the arrested individuals during the operation.
The FIA said initial investigations suggest the involvement of an organised international network operating across both Pakistan and Afghanistan in the preparation of forged identity and travel documents.
Officials further stated that the possible involvement of personnel linked to National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and passport offices is also being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration Islamabad offloaded two Afghan nationals travelling on fake Pakistani visas and forged immigration stamps during an operation at Islamabad International Airport.
An official told APP on Saturday that the passengers were travelling to the United Kingdom through Qatar Airways flight QR-633 when they were stopped for secondary profiling by FIA immigration authorities.
During detailed scrutiny, the Pakistani immigration stamps affixed on their passports and the Pakistani visas presented by the passengers were found fake and suspicious, the official said.
He said no travel record of the passengers was found in the IBMS and POVS systems during verification.
The official said FIA authorities offloaded both passengers and shifted them to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) Islamabad for further legal action and investigation.
Passports, boarding passes, mobile phones, and other relevant documents were also taken into custody during the operation, he added.