Five Held at Karachi Airport for Attempting to Travel Illegally to Italy Under Umrah Pretext

Karachi: Immigration officials at Karachi Airport foiled an attempt by five passengers to travel illegally to Italy under the guise of performing Umrah, arresting them before departure.

According to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the detained individuals — identified as Raheedullah, Abdul Hameed, Abdul Shakoor, Ismail, and Ahmadullah — were offloaded from flight PA-170 bound for Jeddah. They reportedly planned to continue their journey from Saudi Arabia to Italy via agents.

An FIA spokesperson said the passengers hailed from Bannu, Peshawar, Khyber, and Mohmand districts. During immigration clearance, officials found their travel intentions suspicious.

Initial investigation revealed that the suspects were in contact with several agents based in Peshawar and had planned to reach Italy through an illegal sea route, traveling via Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Libya.

The FIA added that each passenger had agreed to pay Rs 4.5 million to the agents for the journey, with Rs 1.5 million to be paid upon arrival in Libya.

The arrested individuals have been handed over to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Karachi for further legal action.