Five Pakistani citizens were deported from Sharjah for attempting to travel to the United Kingdom using fake visas and were taken into custody immediately upon arrival at Lahore Airport. The deported individuals have been identified as Waqar Anjum, Tayyab Iftikhar, Ali Shan, Malik Zaheer and Malik Zeeshan. According to FIA’s spokesperson, the passengers had initially travelled from Lahore to Malaysia on visit visas earlier this year. After their stay in Malaysia, they attempted to travel from Sharjah to the United Kingdom using forged documents. The suspects had obtained the fake visas with the assistance of agents. Following detection of the forged documents, authorities in Sharjah deported the individuals to Pakistan. Upon their return, they were handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Lahore for further investigation, which is currently underway, the spokesperson added. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration apprehended a passenger at Lahore Airport who attempted to use an Umrah visit as a cover to travel illegally to Europe and was subsequently deported. According to the FIA, the passenger, Muhammad Abdur Rehman, had traveled to Jeddah last month with his mother on flight PK-714 to perform Umrah. After performing Umrah, Abdur Rehman met his cousin in Saudi Arabia, who provided him with a passport and a Spanish residence card. Abdur Rehman’s mother returned to Pakistan after Umrah, while he traveled to Baku on December 3, 2025 on an Azerbaijan visa obtained through his cousin/agent. From Azerbaijan, the accused attempted to fly to Italy via an international airline, using the identity and travel documents of a man named Junaid Ali. During transit in Istanbul, immigration authorities identified him as an impostor, arrested him, and later deported him back to Pakistan. Upon arrival in Pakistan, FIA Immigration detained the passenger. Initial inquiry revealed that the accused used the Umrah trip as a cover for illegal movement and attempted to enter Europe using a fake identity, misusing Junaid Ali’s passport and residence permit. The case involves charges of impersonation, misuse of travel documents, and attempted illegal entry. FIA stated that profiling of young Umrah travellers-particularly those travelling with female family members-has been further strengthened to curb such activities. The detainee has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Lahore for further legal action.
Five Pakistanis deported from Sharjah for fake UK visas
Published on: December 7, 2025 2:05 AM