Tracking a smuggler behind deadly Atlantic migrant crossing

Punjabi rap euphony plays implicit a video showing 3 men astatine a beachside edifice successful Mauritania's superior Nouakchott. One aft the other, they grin astatine the camera earlier casually turning to speech and laughter together.

The 3 are intelligibly friends. Two of them, Sufian Ali and Atif Shahzad, are cousins from agrarian Pakistan.

But it's the 3rd antheral successful peculiar who dominates the conversation. He's Fadi Gujjar, a radical smuggler.

The video - posted to Gujjar's TikTok relationship - is 1 of much than 450 clips analysed by BBC Verify that uncover clues astir his activities and his adjacent narration to the different men.

Within a period of this video being posted online, Ali and Shahzad were dormant - beaten to decease connected the vessel travel sold to them by Gujjar, who promised a harmless way into Europe.

Meanwhile, Gujjar recovered himself connected the run, wanted by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for his relation successful the tragedy.

When BBC Verify contacted him connected a telephone fig obtained from survivors, Gujjar said repeatedly successful a bid of dependable notes his sanction had been "misused" by survivors successful transportation with the catastrophe and that helium was leaving it each successful the hands of Allah.

Fadi Gujjar is from Jaurah successful Pakistan's Punjab region. In his 30s, his existent sanction is Khawar Hassan - though helium besides goes by Bishi Gujjar.

Pakistani smugglers the BBC has antecedently reported on person tended to boastfully advertise amerciable routes to Europe online.

But Gujjar is careful. His online beingness is constricted to highly edited videos of his travels and astir each clients BBC Verify identified are section to Jaurah. Advertisements for his services look to dispersed by connection of mouth.

His existent determination connected Facebook is acceptable to Istanbul, Turkey - an oasis for smugglers looking to marque a speedy buck. Videos posted to TikTok spot him successful the metropolis since July 2022, showing the smuggler extracurricular the iconic Hagia Sophia and a Pakistani supermarket.

One different determination stands out: Mauritania connected West Africa's Atlantic seashore - the nerve-centre of his cognition and the spot from which the migrant vessel started its perilous journey.

Since 2023, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says Mauritania has go a hub for radical smuggling - spurred connected by a crackdown connected different routes.

The way is deadly. IOM information shows that 170 radical - including 14 children - person died oregon gone missing connected it this year.

Many Pakistanis seeking economical opportunities successful Europe are consenting to instrumentality the risk. Life determination is glorified online by migrants already surviving connected the continent. Smugglers similar Gujjar, whose lucrative concern is fuelled by people's aspirations, instrumentality vantage of this.

These migrants are taking a gamble, utilizing their families' savings oregon selling up to marque the journey. The survivors we spoke to, connected average, accidental they paid Gujjar $13,000 (£10,000).

There are nary nonstop flights from Pakistan to Mauritania, truthful immoderate of the migrants transited done Ethiopia oregon the Middle East. From there, astir each of them went connected to Senegal, earlier crossing into Mauritania, either by roadworthy oregon a abbreviated vessel travel on the Senegal River.

Gujjar's question past - obtained by BBC Verify done a root - showed the smuggler followed a akin route, entering Dakar airdrome successful Senegal connected 2 occasions successful 2024.

Multiple videos besides spot him successful the Mauritanian superior Nouakchott from October 2024 - though the day of upload could disagree to erstwhile they were filmed.

Further clips, posted to TikTok by Ali and Shahzad spot Gujjar successful Mauritania arsenic aboriginal arsenic August 2024. The trio are seen connected the rooftops of Nouakchott's sand-coloured buildings and successful restaurants astir the metropolis - a luxury different migrants couldn't afford.

One subsister named Uzair Bhat said Gujjar falsely promised him harmless and ineligible routes to Europe. He sent BBC Verify impervious of funds transferred to a slope relationship nether Gujjar's existent name, Khawar Hassan.

But erstwhile Uzair arrived successful Mauritania, the smuggler backtracked.

"He said going by aerial volition not enactment from here. I'll nonstop you by a large ship," Uzair recalled. "Please cooperate, your visa [to Europe] won't travel through."

Eventually Uzair relented.

• Listen: From a smuggler's TikTok to tragedy

As good arsenic Ali, Shahzad and Uzair, BBC Verify identified 2 different migrants who bought journeys from Gujjar.

Once they arrived successful Nouakchott they accidental they were placed successful "safe houses" - a word utilized for buildings tucked distant successful obscure alleys wherever migrants are held illegally by smugglers.

One idiosyncratic who utilized a antithetic cause said helium besides stayed successful harmless houses tally by Gujjar.

BBC Verify confirmed the determination of 1 to an country adjacent the larboard of Nouakchott, which survivors accidental Gujjar occasionally visited.

But the 3 time travel turned into a deadly two-week travel adrift astatine sea.

Uzair said that from the time they near larboard the migrants "were perpetually scooping h2o retired of the boat". Another man, Bilalwal Iqbal, recalled that passengers soon began "drinking oversea h2o and aft drinking it, radical became delirious".

According to the survivors, the unit onboard - West Africans employed by the smugglers - starved the Pakistani migrants of nutrient and water, and bushed them daily.

"I tried to instrumentality 1 of their bottles of h2o truthful they deed maine connected the caput with a enactment and the interaction conscionable made maine autumn back," Iqbal told BBC Verify. "Then they pummelled my thumbs with a hammer. I inactive person those wounds."

Sufian Ali and Atif Shahzad died aft being beaten to decease by the crew, their uncle said. He was informed of the circumstances surrounding their deaths by survivors.

Others died of starvation, dehydration and hypothermia.

Those inactive alive, including the crew, had fixed up until they saw a overmuch larger sportfishing vas travel into view. Uzair Bhat jumped into the water and swam towards it for help.

The coastguard instructed the vas to instrumentality the migrant vessel to Dakhla larboard - 60 miles away. According to the IOM, 15 dormant bodies were recovered onboard portion 35 radical stay missing astatine oversea and presumed dead.

Pakistani authorities person named Gujjar arsenic 1 of 10 smugglers progressive successful the tragedy. Some person been arrested, but not Gujjar.

BBC Verify geolocated his astir caller TikTok posts to Baku, Azerbaijan - though we cannot accidental for definite if helium is inactive there.

Since quality of the rescue broke, his parent and 1 of his brothers person been detained successful Pakistan, accused of collecting wealth connected Gujjar's behalf from radical buying routes to Europe.

BBC Verify has besides seen six constabulary reports filed successful Punjab by the families of those connected the vessel journey. They allege Gujjar collected $75,000 (£56,000) for his relation successful the January disaster. Three radical paid successful full, portion the remaining 3 had lone paid deposits, the constabulary reports said.

We judge Gujjar was inactive facilitating journeys to Europe aft the vessel catastrophe successful January.

Contacted by an undercover BBC newsman successful March utilizing a telephone fig obtained from survivors, Gujjar said helium "knew someone" who would assistance put a journey, but did not straight connection to get progressive himself.

Additional reporting by Dilay Yaçin, Javed Sumroo and Joshua Cheetham.