LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Multan, arrested on Thursday two suspects involved in human smuggling and money laundering in separate operations in Dera Ghazi Khan.

According to an FIA spokesperson, the FIA Multan Zone arrested a suspected human smuggler identified as Muhammad Yousaf from Dera Ghazi Khan. The suspect was allegedly involved in migrant smuggling and visa fraud. He is accused of extorting Rs220,000 from a citizen by falsely promising to arrange employment in Saudi Arabia.

Officials said further investigation is underway to trace possible accomplices and additional victims.

In a separate operation, the FIA arrested another suspect Muhammad Nawaz from Dera Ghazi Khan for his alleged involvement in illegal hawala/hundi transactions linked to the United Arab Emirates.

During the raid, officials recovered Rs5.275 million in cash, a mobile phone and documentary evidence related to the illegal money transfer business.

Authorities said the suspect failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the source of the recovered currency.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026