Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has busted a human trafficking ring in which men disguised as professional footballers attempted to illegally enter Japan, officials said. Twenty-two suspects, all claiming to be players, were arrested after Japanese authorities exposed the fraud.

According to FIA sources, the men travelled in full football gear, asserting links with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and carrying forged no-objection certificates (NOCs) allegedly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Japanese immigration officers grew suspicious during questioning, leading to the group’s deportation back to Pakistan. Authorities have not clarified how the men managed to board flights from Pakistani airports without detection, Geo News reported.

Investigators traced the scheme to Malik Waqas, a resident of Pasroor in Sialkot, who reportedly floated a fake football club called Golden Football Trial. Waqas allegedly charged between Rs 4 million and Rs 4.5 million from each aspirant for the trip. The FIA’s Composite Circle in Gujranwala arrested him on September 15, and multiple cases have been filed against him.

Officials said this was not Waqas’s first attempt at trafficking through the same method. In January 2024, he had arranged for 17 men to travel to Japan using similar forged documents and fake invitations from a Japanese club, Boavista FC. None of those men ever returned.

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