GUJRANWALA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 15 suspects during a crackdown on illegal passport agents operating outside passport offices in the Gujranwala Zone.
According to the FIA, the suspects were allegedly deceiving citizens by promising expedited passport processing in exchange for illegal payments. Preliminary investigations have also uncovered evidence suggesting the possible involvement of certain passport office officials, with further inquiries currently underway.
The operation resulted in the arrest of seven suspects by the FIA Gujranwala Circle, three by the Gujrat Circle and five by the Sialkot Circle.
Those arrested by the Gujranwala Circle were identified as Hafiz Ayub, Muhammad Afzal, Muhammad Tariq, Ali Hassan, Muhammad Asad, Jamshed Ali and Sajjad Ali.
In a separate operation outside the Passport Office in Mandi Bahauddin, the FIA Gujrat Circle arrested Zahid Iqbal, Zubair Aslam and Shehroz Ali. The FIA Sialkot Circle also detained five suspects, and criminal cases have been registered against all of the accused under relevant legal provisions.
The FIA said investigations are continuing to identify any officials allegedly involved in facilitating the illegal activities.
The agency has urged citizens not to approach unauthorized agents for passport services or other government-related matters. Instead, people have been advised to deal directly with the relevant government offices and report any illegal agents to the FIA for legal action.
