Islamabad [Pakistan], August 24 : The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has made a significant bust at Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar, foiling a gold smuggling attempt involving two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees, ARY News reported.
Nasir Khan and Shahidullah, both posted at the airport, were taken into custody during a joint operation with the Airport Security Force (ASF).
A substantial 7,740 grams of gold, worth millions, was recovered from the suspects' luggage, which was intended for illegal export, as per ARY News.
Further, the FIA confirmed that the suspects have been sent on a two-day physical remand for further interrogation.
Investigations may lead to further arrests of suspects involved in the gold smuggling bid and similar cases.
According to ARY News, this operation highlights the FIA's strengthened efforts to curb international smuggling networks operating through Pakistan's airports.
In a recent operation at the Pakistan-Iran border, the FIA Balochistan Zone successfully foiled an illegal border crossing attempt and arrested foreign nationals.
The anti-Human Trafficking Circle Quetta executed the operation and managed to stop the illegal border crossing attempt, arresting defamed agent Nadir and his assistant Haider, who were running human trafficking networks, according to FIA spokespersons.
During the raid, individuals from Bangladesh, who had entered Pakistan unlawfully, were attempting to enter Iran via Pakistan's border, and were also taken into custody.
FIA has been actively executing the operations against human trafficking networks and foiling the attempts of involved groups.
These operations are also part of the same efforts to fight against human smuggling and any smuggling active in Pakistan, operating through different parts of the country.