The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has charged a Karachi-based travel agent, Abdul Shakoor, also known as Shahzaib Naqshbandi, with transporting illegal drugs to Saudi Arabia under the pretence of a medical emergency involving his mother.
The FIA’s Human Trafficking Circle registered the case after receiving complaints from several Umrah pilgrims in Karachi. These pilgrims reported that their relatives were arrested in Saudi Arabia for drug smuggling, for which Shakoor arranged travel. The travel packages, which included visas, tickets, and accommodations, cost Rs265,000 per person.
Ali Murad Baladi, the deputy director of FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, disclosed that Shakoor and his accomplice, Junaid, misled the pilgrims at the airport. They claimed they needed to deliver critical medicine to Shakoor’s ailing mother in Saudi Arabia. Unaware of the packages’ contents, the pilgrims consented to carry them.
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Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, several pilgrims, including Nazim Khan, Sameer, and Khurram Ameen, were detained for smuggling drugs and are now imprisoned.
Following an inquiry that compiled all related complaints, the FIA found substantial evidence against Shakoor and Junaid. The agency has initiated raids to apprehend the accused, whose mobile phones have been turned off. Attempts to reach Shakoor’s immediate family were also unsuccessful.
In a video confession received by a Daily Jang correspondent, Shakoor admitted his involvement but shifted some blame to another accomplice. He claimed that this accomplice was responsible for sending the drugs, asserting that his office staff was unaware of the illicit activities.
The FIA has tried to summon Shakoor for questioning, and efforts to locate him at his office have been unsuccessful. A formal case (No 311/24) is now registered against him as the investigation continues.
