KARACHI: Pakistani authorities on Saturday announced the arrest of a suspected human smuggler from Azad Kashmir, accusing him of involvement in last year’s Greece boat tragedy that killed five nationals and charging him with sending one victim abroad after taking Rs4.5 million ($16,200).
The incident occurred in December when a wooden vessel carrying migrants, which departed from Libya, sank off the southern Greek island of Gavdos. The government has intensified its crackdown on human smugglers in recent months, leading to several arrests.
The latest detention comes just days after another boat capsized off Morocco’s coast, where over 40 Pakistanis are feared to have drowned.
“The smuggler involved in the Greece boat tragedy has been arrested,” the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said in a statement. “The accused, Abdul Salam, was apprehended during a raid in Bhimber, Azad Kashmir.”
“He was part of a gang involved in human trafficking and extorted Rs4.5 million from victim Ahsan Ali for facilitating his travel to Europe,” it added.
The FIA said the suspect and his associates had kept the victim in safe houses in Libya before coercing him to board the ill-fated boat to Greece. Ali, who hailed from Jalalpur Jattan, died in the shipwreck.
The FIA informed that evidence related to human smuggling was recovered from the suspect’s mobile phone, and investigations were ongoing to track down his accomplices.
“We are using all resources to ensure the arrest of those involved in these tragic incidents,” said Abdul Qadir Qamar, Director of FIA’s Gujranwala Zone. “Raids are being conducted to apprehend the remaining suspects.”
The FIA reiterated its commitment to bringing human smugglers to justice.
“No one will be allowed to play with the lives of innocent people,” the statement said. “Those responsible will face severe punishments based on solid evidence.”
