Victims from Gilgit-Baltistan were held hostage near the border with Vietnam and forced into illegal online schemes
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Islamabad Zone has launched a crackdown on individuals accused of holding Pakistani citizens of Gilgit-Baltistan hostage in Cambodia and forcing them into forced labour.
According to FIA, Composite Circle Gilgit arrested two suspects, Adnan Aslam and Inamullah, who were allegedly involved in luring citizens abroad through fake job offers and trapping them in illegal online schemes. Aslam was arrested in Hunza, while Inamullah tried to flee to China but was deported and taken into custody.
The FIA said investigators were contacting the victims and their families to help identify the suspects. The arrested individuals and their co-conspirators allegedly detained Pakistani citizens in a building near the border with Vietnam where they were forced to work online fraud. The victims reportedly paid between $2,000 and $5,300 in ransom to secure their release.
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The agency said the suspects conducted online interviews to deceive the victims with promises of employment and sent them to Cambodia from Lahore airport. Upon arrival, their passports were confiscated and they were subjected to forced labor while agents associated with the network demanded large sums of money in ransom from their families.
A 12-day physical remand has been obtained for the arrested suspects and further investigations are underway. The FIA has also formed special teams to trace and arrest other members of the trafficking network, and says all available resources are being used to pursue the case.
