Islamabad: Pakistani authorities said they have arrested seven alleged key figures in a human trafficking ring following last week’s sinking of an overcrowded smuggling vessel off Greece that left over 500 migrants missing, including Pakistanis.
The arrests occurred during the last two days as part of a government crackdown on traffickers, according to the police, who said that the ring was involved in importing Pakistanis into Europe. Thirty additional suspects were detained in Pakistan during the last several days and were being investigated for their possible involvement in smuggling operations.
Police continue to conduct raids across the nation in an effort to apprehend everyone connected to the tragedy of the migrant ship. Local police are receiving assistance from Pakistan's intelligence services in locating smugglers who have disappeared.
Each of those who tried to make the perilous journey to Europe - hoping for a better life - paid the smugglers between $5,000 to $8,000, Pakistani authorities said. The boat which capsized off the Greek coast - while carrying as many as 750 people - on June 14 is one of the worst migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea. Only 104 men survived and 82 bodies were recovered.
At least 350 Pakistanis were on an overloaded boat that capsized and sank in open seas off Greece last week, Pakistan’s interior minister said that at least 350 Pakistanis were on board the ill-fated boat.