ISLAMABAD: Fake Umrah visas Pakistan November 2026 is the fraud at the centre of a Federal Investigation Agency case, after officers arrested a man who sold fake visas and travel packages to 49 citizens. The FIA said the suspect collected about Rs7 million from the victims and never gave them the Umrah visas, air tickets or travel packages he had promised. The arrest was announced on Thursday, and it is a warning to families who plan the pilgrimage through small travel agents. For the victims, the money is gone for now, and the case will now move through the courts.
The FIA Anti Human Trafficking Circle Karachi arrested the suspect after complaints from the victims, the agency said. The man worked with M/S Karwan-e-Safar Travel and Tours, a travel firm in Karachi, and he offered Umrah visas, air tickets and travel packages to people who wanted to travel for the pilgrimage. The agency said he took their money over a period of time and then failed to provide any of the services. When the victims asked for their money back, they got no clear answer, and that is when they went to the FIA.
Ishtiaq Ali collected Rs7 million from 49 people, the FIA said in its statement. The figure works out to more than Rs140,000 per person, which is a large sum for most families in Pakistan. Many of the victims had saved for months to pay for the trip, and some had borrowed money from relatives. The FIA said the suspect took the payments on the promise of visas and tickets, but the papers were never issued. The agency has not yet said whether any of the money has been recovered.
The case was registered under Sections 406 420 109 Pakistan Penal Code, which deal with criminal breach of trust, cheating and abetment. Section 406 covers a person who keeps money given to him for a purpose and uses it for himself. Section 420 covers cheating, and Section 109 covers abetment, which means helping someone else commit an offence. The FIA said the investigation is still open, and more people may be questioned if the record points to them. The suspect will face the charges in court, where the FIA will have to prove the fraud.
The FIA also arrested Shahzad Baloch wanted since 2014 in a separate human trafficking and visa fraud case. The agency said Baloch had been wanted for more than a decade, and his case was registered in 2014. His arrest came in the same round of action as the Umrah visa case, and it shows that the FIA is still chasing old visa fraud cases as well as new ones. The agency has not yet given details of the 2014 case, and it has not said which court will hear it.
Families who plan Umrah should check the travel agent before they pay. A real agent will give a written agreement with the cost, the dates and the hotel, and will not ask for the full payment in cash with no receipt. The visa should be checked through the official channel before the family travels, and the ticket should carry the name of the passenger. If an agent promises a visa in a day for extra money, that is a sign to stop and check again. A little care before payment can save a family from losing its savings.
This is not the first case of its kind this year. In late October the FIA Multan zone arrested seven suspects in separate cases, including a man from Khanewal who allegedly took Rs1.891 million from a family for Umrah visas and gave them fake papers. Another case in the same round involved Rs733,000 taken for Umrah visas that were never issued. The pattern is the same in each case: the agent takes the money, gives fake papers or nothing at all, and then stops answering calls. The FIA says the same trick is used again and again.
People who lose money to a fake agent should keep every receipt, message and bank record, because the FIA needs that proof to build a case. A complaint can be filed with the FIA Anti Human Trafficking Circle in the city where the agent works. The ministry that deals with religious affairs also keeps a list of approved Umrah operators, and families can check an agent against that list before they pay. The sooner a victim reports, the better the chance that the FIA can trace the money and catch the people behind the fraud.
The arrest will not bring the Rs7 million back on its own, and the victims will have to wait for the court process. But the case is a reminder that the cheapest offer is not always the safest one, and that a visa bought through a stranger can turn into a loss. For families who dream of Umrah, the safe path is a registered agent, a written agreement and a visa checked before travel. The FIA says its crackdown on visa fraud will go on, and more arrests may follow as new complaints come in.
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