According to officials, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has uncovered a human trafficking ring in which males posing as professional football players tried to enter Japan illegally.
After the fraud was revealed by Japanese authorities, 22 men, who all claimed to be players were taken into custody.
The men allegedly carried fraudulent no-objection certificates (NOCs) purportedly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and traveled in full football gear while claiming affiliations with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), according to FIA sources.
During interrogation, Japanese immigration officials became suspicious, and the group was sent back to Pakistan.
According to Geo News, authorities have not explained how the men were able to sneak onto planes from Pakistani airports.
Malik Waqas, a resident of Pasroor in Sialkot, was identified by investigators as the mastermind behind the operation. He allegedly floated a fake football team named Golden Football Trial.
Waqas is accused of charging each individual between Rs 4 million and Rs 4.5 million for the trip. Several charges have been brought against him since his September 15 arrest by the FIA’s Composite Circle in Gujranwala.
According to officials, Waqas had previously tried human trafficking using the same technique. Using similar forged documents and fake invitations from a Japanese team, Boavista FC, he had arranged for 17 men to visit Japan in January 2024. Those men never came back.
