The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday arrested a man in Gujranwala for his suspected involvement in an illegal organ trade gang which was busted during an FIA raid in Lahore last month.

The FIA arrested a middleman, identified as Abdul Majeed, who is allegedly responsible for connecting foreign patients seeking kidney transplants with the suspects arrested earlier, Dr Fawad and Dr Altamash, who were caught red-handed performing an operation on a patient during the raid.

After arresting the doctors, the FIA said the suspects had been involved in the illegal business of human organ transplantation for the last several years and most of their clients were foreigners, particularly from the Middle East.

FIA officials claimed that the doctors, with the help of middlemen, used to arrange for the provision of kidneys by exploiting the poor and purchasing their kidneys at a low price, and selling them to foreigners for exorbitant dollar amounts.

The gang has already undertaken several illegal kidney transplants in the past by setting up small operation theatres in rented houses in posh localities, the FIA officials added.

Two foreigners and two organ donors were also arrested during the raid in April and the FIA lodged its first first-ever case under the Human Organ Transplant Act.