July 10, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 24, 1428

KASUR, July 9: The kidney mafia has not only deprived several poor donors of their precious organs but also of their `dream money’, in most of the cases. Mainly an abject poverty forces the people to take the risk of their life to fulfil their urgent needs.

Khadim Husain alias Kalu, a 30-year-old brick kiln worker from Kasur, has proved to be an easy prey to the people dealing in the monkey business. He has the worst of both worlds, losing his one kidney and getting nothing in the deal in terms of the promised money.

Narrating his ordeal, Mr Hussain, who lives in a rented house, said that some two years back he had taken Rs25,000 as advance money for his marriage from a kiln owner, Rafique Member.

He said he used to earn between Rs100 and Rs150 after a daylong toil at the brick kiln of Rafique. During the last month of the pregnancy of his wife he discontinued the work which annoyed his employer who demanded his money back.

Frightened with the threat to be handed over to police, Kalu left his Gagart Saharee Otart village for Lahore to sell his one kidney to pay off his debt.

He visited various hospitals in Lahore, but his request to donate his kidney was not entertained until he met near Kalma Chowk one Malik Sabir, an agent of the gang dealing in human organs. After a hard bargain, Kalu struck a deal with the agent to sell his kidney for Rs70,000.

Handing him over only Rs100 and his cell phone number 0302-4701282, Sabir asked Kalu to see him next morning at Barkat Market. After getting his tests conducted at a private hospital at Barket Market, Sabir had given him Rs1,000 to take a proper diet with the direction to contact him on his cell phone the next evening.

When contacted, the agent informed the victim that all his tests were clear and he would be operated upon. Next morning, Sabir picked the victim from Barkat Market and brought him to a private hospital in front of Ravi Hotel near Jinnah Hospital on his motorcycle. Being illiterate, Kalu could not read the name of the hospital.

Before being operated upon, Sabir took thumb impressions of the victim on five affidavits. When Kalu came to senses after his operation, he saw Sabir and a woman. Sabir introduced the woman as his wife, Shazia. The couple later left the hospital with a promise to see him the next day. They took the victim from the hospital the following morning in a rickshaw and dropped him at Bhakhaywal Morr in Wahdat Colony. Giving him Rs5,000, the couple promised him to meet him at Barkat Market the next day. But the couple never returned.

The wife of Khadim Hussain meanwhile gave birth to a daughter. Khadim Hussain went to the hospital at Barkat Market where his tests were conducted. He met Dr Shah, who took his samples, and narrated him the whole episode. The doctor informed the victim that Malik Sabir worked for Fakeer Hussain, who has been in the funny business for the last 20 years. The doctor also gave him Fakeer’s cell phone number (0300-4416199).

When contacted on phone, Fakeer Hussain assured the victim that Sabir would give him the payment. Since the cell phone of Sabir remained switched off, Fakeer also refused to give money on the plea that the kidney was given to the hospital and not to his gang.

Kalu once succeeded in contacting Malik Sabir on his new cell phone number 0334-2799035 given by Fakeer Hussain. Although the agent promised to meet him the next day at Bund Road, he never turned up on the spot to the utter disappointment of the victim.

Kalu has returned to his village but no brick kiln owner is ready to give him work, mainly because his body may not sustain the hard labour.

He had to borrow the money from his friends and relatives to clear the debt of kiln owner Rafique when he started harassing the poor labourer. Miseries of Khadim Hussain have still not ended as some of his relatives piling pressure on him for the return of their money.