Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency has arrested five people accused of living and working in Israel for several years. Three others, including a woman, remain at large.
All of the eight accused are from Sindh’s Mirpurkhas region.
Pakistani does not recognize Israel and has no diplomatic relations with the country. Its passport contains a line saying, the document is not valid for travel to Israel. Some of the Pakistanis who have visited Israel in the past did so by traveling on other countries’ passports.
The FIA made the arrests in Mirpurkhas and has also registered five cases against eight people under similar charges.
The arrested men are accused of staying in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv where they worked as helpers and car washers, said the agency in a statement on Wednesday.
Officials said the accused stayed between four to seven years in the Israeli capital. They entered Israel through Jordon after paying between Rs300,000 and 400,000 per person to a human trafficker, named Issac Matat. He is said to be an Israeli national.
The men have been identified as Nauman Siddiqui, Kamran Siddiqui, Kamil Anwar, Muhammad Anwar and Muhammad Zeeshan.
Three others Mohammad Aslam, Abdul Majid Siddiqui, and a woman Sitara Pareveen remain at large.
FIA officials said the eight accused include a man and wife and their two sons. They did not elaborate.
The Pakistanis not only worked in Israel but also sent remittances back home via Western Union.
They entered Israel via Jordan after first traveling to Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Kenya. On their return journey, they arrived in Dubai from Jordan before taking a flight to Karachi.
They have been nominated in cases under the Passport Act and the Immigration Ordinance. The FIA is also conducting raids to arrest other accused.