Japanese authorities have uncovered a novel human trafficking tactic. A gang was trying to illegally send 22 people from Pakistan to Japan by posing as football players. However, the group was detained at the airport and sent back to the country after the documents were found to be fake.

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said that the group tried to travel to Japan from Sialkot International Airport as players of a fake club called 'Golden Football Trial'. The Japanese authorities detected their fake documents only after the group reached there.

Investigation revealed that the main mastermind of the gang is Malik Waqas. He created fake clubs and trained students in football for a few days and taught them how to behave like players. 4 million rupees (about 13-15 thousand US dollars) was taken from each member. The documents for going to Japan even mentioned the game schedule.

According to local media reports, the Japanese authorities were able to quickly detect multiple inconsistencies, including fake registration certificates and fake clearances from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later, all were sent back to the country.

The FIA ​​said that Malik Waqas was arrested and a case was registered at the Gujranwala police station. During interrogation, he admitted that he had earlier sent 17 people to Japan using the same method in January 2024. Various evidence, including fake documents and fake letterheads of the Football Federation, were seized from him.

Authorities said that with increased restrictions at the border, smugglers are now trying to send people by air and in fancy disguises. Huge sums of money are taken in each operation. Waqas has multiple human trafficking cases against him.