Fake Pakistan Football Team Deported from Japan

Lahore, Sep 17 (PTI) A group posing as the Pakistan Football Team was deported from Japan after their deception came to light, according to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday.

A human trafficking operation orchestrated this scheme, sending a 22-member fictitious football team to Japan, the FIA noted in a statement. Dressed in football uniforms, these impostors claimed affiliation with the Pakistan Football Federation and purportedly arranged matches with a Japanese club.

The "team" managed to secure a 15-day visa and arrived in Japan in June 2025. However, upon arrival, Japanese immigration authorities discovered the fraud and deported them, subsequently notifying the FIA.

Following reports, the FIA initiated an investigation, leading to the arrest of a key suspect, Waqas Ali, on Tuesday — a crucial figure in the human trafficking network responsible for the scam.

During the inquiry, Ali confessed that his network had previously sent 17 individuals to Japan in 2024, falsely identifying them as members of the Pakistan Football Team, none of whom returned.

The operation relied on counterfeit documents, including letters and no-objection certificates from the Pakistan Football Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ali disclosed. Each participant reportedly paid PKR4.5 million for their Japanese visa. The FIA is currently conducting raids to apprehend other network members.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)