- Suspects say they had scheduled matches with Japanese club.
- Main suspect, Malik Waqas, arrested for organising scheme.
- Waqas registered fake club named Golden Football Trial.
GUJRANWALA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 22 men accused of posing as a professional football team after Japanese immigration authorities uncovered their forged travel documents and deported them.
The impersonators, dressed in football kits, claimed they were registered with the Pakistan Football Federation and had scheduled matches with a Japanese club.
However, during questioning, Japanese immigration officials detected the fraud and deported the group back to Pakistan.
The FIA said the main suspect, Malik Waqas, who had registered a fake football club under the name Golden Football Trial, has been arrested in Gujranwala.
A case has been registered at the FIA’s Gujranwala police station and further inquiries are ongoing. Investigators said the organisers charged each man Rs4 million for the trip.
Authorities said all 22 individuals were trained to act like professional players and provided with forged documents.
During questioning, Waqas admitted he had earlier sent 17 people to Japan in January 2024 using the same modus operandi.
