In yet another case of fraudulent travel under the guise of sports, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a fake martial arts team attempting to fly to Russia. This comes shortly after a similar case involving a fake football team.
Five passengers offloaded at Faisalabad airport
According to an FIA spokesperson, five passengers posing as martial arts athletes were stopped at Faisalabad airport while boarding flight number FZ-392. The group was allegedly traveling on the pretext of participating in martial arts competitions in Russia.
Passengers found unaware of martial arts
During the initial investigation, officials discovered that none of the passengers had any knowledge of martial arts. The group members — Iqbal Murtaza, Abdul Wahab, Shahzeb Khan, Samiullah, and Muhammad Suleman — hailed from Lahore, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Nowshera, and Rawalpindi.
No registration or invitation letters
The alleged head of the group, Iqbal Murtaza, failed to present any valid registration or invitation letter for the competition. Meanwhile, trainers Shahzeb Khan and Abdul Wahab were also unable to provide any credible information about martial arts.
Case referred to Anti-Human Trafficking Circle
The passengers were offloaded and handed over to the FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Faisalabad for further investigation. Officials believe the case is part of a wider network using fake sports teams as a cover for illegal travel abroad.
