A shocking incident unfolded at Tokyo’s airport when a scheme to smuggle 22 Pakistanis into Japan using a fake football team was uncovered. The individuals were attempting to enter the country under the guise of being football players. Japanese immigration officials swiftly detected the fraud. The false documentation was exposed during questioning, leading to the group’s deportation. The incident has links to a human trafficking ring operating out of Pakistan, and the alleged orchestrator has been apprehended.
The group presented themselves in football attire, claiming association with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). They possessed forged ‘No Objection Certificates’ (NOCs) that appeared to originate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ‘team’ was purportedly affiliated with a fictitious club, ‘Golden Football Trial,’ organized by Malik Waqas from Pasrur, near Sialkot. The intended objective was participation in a Japanese football tournament, but it was revealed to be a calculated deception.
Malik Waqas is accused of extorting 4 million Pakistani Rupees from each person for the trip. This wasn’t his inaugural attempt; he had previously facilitated the travel of 17 individuals to Japan in January 2024, utilizing fraudulent documents and fabricated invitations from the Japanese club ‘Bovista FC’. This time, however, the plan was intercepted due to the diligence of Japanese authorities.
Utilizing these false documents, the fake team departed from Sialkot airport. Following the exposure of the fraudulent scheme, the 22 individuals were repatriated to Pakistan, where the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) subsequently made arrests. The FIA has categorized this as a substantial human trafficking case. Reports indicate that Waqas was arrested by the FIA’s Composite Circle on September 15, and multiple charges were filed against him. Investigations revealed the existence of a vast human trafficking network that exploited the ruse of fake sporting events.
