ISLAMABAD: The capital police have arrested a man allegedly associated with a gang involved in kidney trade.

The matter was reported to the police by a resident of Bahawalpur, the police said.

He had paid Rs1million to a group of people to arrange a kidney for his ailing brother.

After receiving the amount, the gang failed to arrange the kidney and started threatening him, a police officer told Dawn.

Mohammad Javed complained to the Khanna police that he met a man in his hometown who promised to arrange a kidney with the assistance of his uncle who lived in Islamabad.

He said later he came to the capital city and met the uncle at a hotel near Khanna bridge where eight other people were present, including a doctor and two women.

After negotiations with them, arrangements for a ‘donor’ were finalised against the payment of Rs2 million.

Mr Javed said he paid half of the amount to the group of people on the spot. But when they did not arrange the kidney, he asked them to return his money. At this, he was detained for a while and threatened.

As a result, Mr Javed approached the police and lodged a complaint which led to the registration of a case under section 11 of Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act and section 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The complainant nominated nine people in the case and the police have so far arrested one of them.

When contacted, investigation officer (IO) of the case ASI Ahsanullah told Dawn that the police had found 12 people affiliated with the gang, including doctors and paramedics.

Out of these, five have been identified and one of them is under custody, he said.

The investigation officer said preliminary investigation showed that the gang arranged organ donors for patients.

He said the gang was operating in private hospitals in and around Khanna.

When contacted by Dawn, Mr Javed refused to comment and said he would consult with his family.

Section 11 of Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act states: “Whoever makes or receives any payment for the supply of, or for an offer to supply, any human organ, seeks to find a person willing to supply for payment any human organ, offers to supply any human organ for payment, initiates or negotiates any arrangement involving the making of any payment for the supply of, or for an offer to supp1y any human organ, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and with a fine which may extend to Rs1 million.”

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2018