Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) apprehended two women on Tuesday at Karachi Airport as they were preparing to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for the purpose of begging. According to an FIA immigration spokesperson, the women were taken into custody after it was revealed that their intention was to solicit alms in the Kingdom.
The spokesperson noted that one of the arrested women has a son currently in Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa, which he obtained in 2022. “We are gathering further information on the matter,” the spokesperson added.
This incident follows a previous action by the FIA, where 24 individuals disguised as Umrah pilgrims were offloaded from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight at Multan Airport. During the immigration process, these passengers admitted they were traveling to Saudi Arabia with the intention of begging.
These arrests come in light of recent disclosures by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development to the Senate Committee on Overseas Pakistanis, revealing that a significant number of beggars are trafficked abroad through illegal channels.
