Ten suspects allegedly connected to the tragic migrant boat disaster in Greece, one of the deadliest incidents in the Mediterranean, have been apprehended in Pakistan.
The prime suspect, Sajid Mehmood, was arrested at Karachi airport while attempting to escape to Azerbaijan. He was prevented from boarding the plane after his name appeared on the stop-list of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Mehmood is believed to be involved in smuggling people to Europe through Greece and Libya, including a previous incident involving a capsized migrant boat in Libya in March. He will be handed over to the FIA Gujarat bureau, where a case has been filed against him.
Further reports confirmed that nine additional suspected human traffickers were detained in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, with one arrest made in Gujrat, pending further investigation.
Meanwhile, in Greece, search operations continued in the sea region southwest of Pylos, where the tragic sinking occurred. Greek navy vessels, along with other ships and a Coast Guard helicopter, participated in the ongoing search-and-rescue efforts. Seventy-one survivors were transferred to a migrants’ facility in Malakassa, north Attica, while some individuals remained hospitalized in Kalamata.
104 passengers were rescued, and 78 bodies were recovered after the boat sank, leaving potentially hundreds more missing, including around 100 women and children who were reportedly locked in the hold. The United Nations estimates that up to 500 passengers may still be unaccounted for. Eight of the nine Egyptian survivors arrested for alleged involvement in human trafficking were detained at the Kalamata police station, while one remained under guard at the hospital.
The defendants will face charges including forming a criminal organization involved in illegal immigration, causing a shipwreck due to negligence, and endangering human lives. Recently released videos revealed the overcrowded conditions on the boat, with hundreds of migrants tightly packed on the deck as they crossed the Mediterranean.
The father of Shehryar Sultan, one of the missing passengers, shared that smugglers had “brainwashed” his son into embarking on the perilous journey from Libya to Europe.
