According to Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the suspects travelled wearing full football kits, carried forged no-objection certificates (NOCs) allegedly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and claimed links to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). The documents were presented as official clearance for their travel.
Japan deported the group after questioning
Japanese immigration officers became suspicious during routine questioning. Their inquiries revealed discrepancies in the men’s claims, exposing the fraud. The group was deported back to Pakistan. Questions remain over how the suspects managed to board international flights from Pakistani airports without detection, Geo News reported.
Key suspect arrested in Gujranwala
Investigators identified Malik Waqas, a resident of Pasroor in Sialkot, as the key suspect behind the racket. He had created a fake football club called Golden Football Trial. According to officials, Waqas charged between Rs 4 million and Rs 4.5 million from each individual for the Japan trip. The FIA’s Composite Circle in Gujranwala arrested him on September 15, and several cases have been registered against him.
Similar case in 2024
Officials said this was not Waqas’s first attempt at trafficking through football cover. In January 2024, he arranged for 17 men to travel to Japan using similar forged documents and invitations from a Japanese club, Boavista FC. None of those men returned.
Fake cricket club visit to US in 2024
A similar case happened in October last year where a man from Lahore tried to travel to the United States on forged documents claiming to be a cricket player. He was arrested near the US Consulate in Karachi after presenting fake credentials linked to a cricket club. Investigators later found that he had acquired the bogus documents through an agent identified as Sajjad, paying a large sum upfront with more promised upon successful travel.
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