SIALKOT - Amid record depreciation of rupees, special teams of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed to have busted three illegal currency exchanges. The development came during raids conducted in different parts of Sialkot city on Wednesday. According to Divisional Deputy Director Mufakhar Adeel, the FIA teams sealed the illegal currency exchanges and arrested the owners identified as Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Sarfraz and Salman Butt for running the illegal currency business. The deputy director told the newsmen that the FIA teams also seized a big amount of national and foreign currencies including Rs3.3 million, 8,000 Saudi Riyals, 1,200 dollar, Euros 600, 100 UAE Dirhams, Qatari Riyals 500, Omani Riyals 500 and hundreds of prize bonds of different denominations and other foreign currencies. The FIA has sent the accused behind bars after registration separate cases against them. Further investigation is underway.

40 arrested: Meanwhile, the FIA intercepted two buses and arrested 40 persons, mostly youth, being transported towards Pak-Iran border for sending them onward to Europe through Iran, Turkey and Greece illegally. FIA team led by Deputy Director Sajjad Mustafa, intercepted the two buses near Dewna Mandi, Lala Musa in Gujrat district. Senior FIA officials said that the accused belong to Sialkot, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin districts, adding that local human traffickers and their agents were transporting them towards Pak-Iran border in two buses. The FIA sent the accused behind the bars and registered a case against them. Further investigation is underway.