Fake Pakistan Football Team Deported from Japan in Major Human Trafficking Scam
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Islamabad — In a disturbing revelation of human trafficking, Pakistani authorities have arrested Malik Waqas, accused of orchestrating a massive smuggling operation by posing migrants as a fake football team to facilitate their illegal travel to Japan. The scheme was foiled when Japanese immigration officials detected forged documents and deported 22 men who claimed to be part of a professional squad.
The men, hailing from Sialkot and surrounding areas, were allegedly trained to act like professional football players. Waqas had established a sham organization called Golden Football Trial and charged each participant between PKR 4 million to 4.5 million for the trip Several of the documents submitted—including registration letters from the Pakistan Football Federation and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—were found to be forged.
This is not the first time Waqas is implicated in such activity. In January 2024, he allegedly sent another group of 17 men to Japan using a similar modus operandi. The current case has triggered multiple FIRs (First Information Reports) in Gujranwala, where the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is investigating further and aiming to dismantle the broader trafficking network.
According to FIA officials, human trafficking rings are increasingly using inventive ruses like the creation of fake sports teams to bypass immigration scrutiny. Besides posing legal risks, such schemes exploit vulnerable individuals seeking better opportunities abroad, costing them large sums of money and exposing them to potential danger. The government has faced criticism both domestically and from abroad, with this incident causing diplomatic embarrassment and raising questions about how such frauds could succeed.
