The FIA has arrested suspected ringleader of the Greek boat tragedy, Muhammad Saleem Sanyara
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Human Trafficking Circle in Gujrat on Sunday confirmed the arrest of the suspected ringleader of the migrant boat tragedy off the coast of Greece that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Pakistanis last month.
The accused, Muhammad Saleem Sanyara, is the brother of Asif Sanyara, the main suspect in the boat accident, said the FIA. It said he had allegedly collected millions of rupees to transport Pakistanis illegally to Europe and other countries, adding that he used to then send this money to his brother through the informal hundi and hawala networks.
According to the FIA statement, the accused went into hiding after the Greece boat tragedy and was located and arrested using the latest technology. It said Asif was currently in Libya and had built many safe houses there, adding that further investigation of the accused was ongoing.
Separately, the FIA posted on the Twitter that Mohammad Saleem—another suspected human trafficker—was a central figure in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya. However, it did not clarify which incident it was referring to, as there have been two shipwrecks—in February and April—off the Libyan coast in the past six months.
At least 350 Pakistanis were on an overloaded boat that capsized off the coast of Greece last month, with 281 Pakistani families—thus far—having contacted the government for help after losing all touch with their loved ones. Following the tragedy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the launch of a high-level inquiry to identify and arrest anyone involved in human smuggling. Since then, several alleged human traffickers and their agents have been taken into custody, with most of them informing authorities that their ringleader is based in Libya.
Reportedly, human smugglers charge around $8,000 per person to take migrants to Europe illegally through the sea route after flying them legally to Dubai, Egypt or Libya.
Last week, the FIA announced it was blacklisting the passports of all human traffickers suspected to be involved in the Greek tragedy, adding they would be charged under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. FIA Director General Mohsin Hasan Butt has also ordered the blocking of the identity cards and bank accounts of the agents involved in the incident.