FIA offloads two passengers over fake Portugal study visas

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration on Sunday foiled an attempt to travel abroad using forged documents by offloading two passengers at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. The passengers, identified as Manzah Shehzadi and Hasnain Khalid, were attempting to travel to Portugal on Turkish Airlines flight TK745. During immigration clearance, officials detected fake Portuguese study visas affixed to their passports, FIA officials confirmed. The passengers, who belong to Gujranwala, revealed during initial questioning that they had obtained the forged visas from an agent named Iqbal. Investigators said the suspects paid Rs3.5 million each for the fraudulent documents. Following their offloading, both passengers were handed over to the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle Lahore for further legal proceedings. The FIA spokesperson said further investigation is under way to identify the agent and any wider network involved in visa fraud. The FIA reiterated its warning to the public to avoid illegal means for overseas travel and to remain cautious of agents offering fraudulent visas.