August 18, 2007	Saturday	Sha’aban 4, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Aug 17: Police have arrested a doctor, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police and their two accomplices, on the charge of selling the kidney of a jobless person for Rs1 million and pocketing the money.

Police sources said on Friday that the hunt was also on for a police constable and his collaborator involved in the scam.

Those already arrested, namely Dr Zulfiqar, his personal assistant Saleemullah, ASI Shakeel Ahmed and agent Shaukat, have been remanded into custody for five days by a magistrate.

Ironically the scam surfaced on a day the government introduced a bill on regulating the business of transplantation of human organs in the National Assembly at its last sitting of the current session.

This action was seen as a delaying tactic as the federal cabinet had approved recently an ordinance on the same subject on the directive from the Supreme Court.

According to police Usman Rana, 24, arrived in Islamabad from Lahore in February in search of a job. One Tariq lured him into selling one of his kidneys for Rs1 million.

Usman was operated upon in a private hospital in Rawalpindi run by a retired army general and his kidney was sold to a patient from the UK, the police said.

Sub-inspector Mohammad Ahmed, who is investigating the case, told Dawn that Usman started knocking at the doors of senior police officials after receiving just Rs100,000 for his kidney and developed pain in his second kidney.

The investigating officer said ASI Shakeel Ahmed, who had friendly relations with kidney agent Shaukat, met Usman and assured him to get him more money. He allegedly contacted Dr Zulfiqar and coerced him into paying Rs15,000 more to Usman.

However a police source said the ASI pocketed the extra money.

A case was eventually registered against the people named in the scam. While four of them have been arrested search is on for police constable Munir and his accomplice Tariq.