The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed on Saturday claimed to have arrested two notorious criminals of a well-organised ring for running a fake news channel. According to the FIA spokesman, the accused persons, identified as Hafiz Muhammad Akmal and Muhammad Adil, were allegedly involved in running a fake news channel under the name of '1 news' and used to call women for interviews on the pretext of making them anchor persons and defraud them.
Both the accused are residents of Narowal district, he said, adding that they used to give fraudulent advertisements in various national newspapers regarding demand of workers in foreign countries. He said a team of the FIA's Lahore Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC), headed by Assistant Director Ahsan Bajwa, conducted a raid at a fake training centre and an office of overseas employment promoter and arrested the accused persons.
During the interrogation, he said it was emerged that the accused persons were also involved in human smuggling. "The accused persons were involved in defrauding ordinary citizens on the pretext of sending them to gulf countries for overseas employments," the spokesman said. He added that they (accused) were operating as the overseas employment promoters (OEP) without getting any license from the government.
During the raid, he said, the agency recovered passports readable machines, fake training certificates, CVs, fake license, call letters, fake visas of Dubai, forms of news channel and other objectionable items from the accused.
According to the spokesman, the victims of this gang are in large who are approaching the FIA for their claims. After receiving money, the accused used to give treats to their clients to refrain from initiating any legal action against them, he added. He said the accused belong to a well-organised gang which was operating in many parts of the province including Hafizabad, Narowal, Azad Kashmir and Peshawar, adding that an FIR has been registered against them and further investigation is in progress.