BAHAWALNAGAR: A team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Multan on Thursday arrested three members of a gang who were allegedly involved in illegal human organ trade and kidney transplant.

Speaking to Dawn, investigating officer Abdul Waqeel said a first information report was lodged on the complaint of Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority (PHOTA) against arrested agents Ahmed Yar, Muhammad Shahbaz and Muhammad Javaid along with people involved with the gang belonging to Lahore and other areas including doctors and surgeons on Aug 27 under Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA).

Waqeel said the FIR had been lodged against 11 people, including gang leader surgeons Dr Shahid, Dr Manzoor, Dr Jawad and Mayo Hospital Lahore’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Abdul Rauf who were on pre-arrest bail.

He said the FIR also included donors. He said according to the record of recipients, five names, including two women, had surfaced and further investigation was under way.

Waqeel said the agents lured people by taking advantage of their financial situation and offered Rs50,000 to Rs200,000 for a kidney.

He said the gang sold the kidney to recipients for Rs2.5 million to Rs4m.

FIA inspector Ghulam Abbas said the arrested agents used to rent out houses in Chishtian, Haroonabad and other cities where the kidneys were extracted and also transplanted.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2019