The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) immigration circle thwarted an attempt to smuggle four women to Saudi Arabia via Umrah visas at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.

The women, who were initially believed to be Umrah pilgrims, were actually being sent to Saudi Arabia for forced labour, according to FIA officials.

During the operation, FIA detained four women identified as Shazia Bano, Zamira Azeem, Lubna, and Sana Shehzadi, who were passengers on an Umrah flight.

Further investigations revealed that these women had previously travelled to Saudi Arabia under similar circumstances.

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Authorities have linked the trafficking operation to a woman named Asiya, a former Punjab police officer, who allegedly financed the victims’ travel expenses.

In Saudi Arabia, a facilitator named Waseem Gujar was responsible for their accommodation and financial arrangements.

FIA is now interrogating the women to gather further intelligence on the trafficking network and those involved in the operation.