RAWALPINDI: The physical remand of the main suspect in the illegal kidney transplant case was further extended for four days on Tuesday.

However, the police are still unable to arrest the remaining members of the gang involved in illegal organ transplants.

The gang was involved in ‘depriving’ people of their kidneys and selling them to foreigners at a high price.

Moreover, a team of kidney experts sent by the secretary health Punjab visited the police and collected details about the organ racket unearthed by the Punjab Highway Patrol Police on Saturday.

On the other hand, the police investigating the ‘organ transplant’ case have sought help from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to get the data of mobile phone of Saqib Ali, who was arrested while transporting the victim to a bus stand on Saturday.

“Saqib, the head of the gang, had been arrested by the FIA in 2019 involving in the same crime and was later released from jail,” Tariq Gondal, the SHO of Rawat, who is leading the investigation, told Dawn.

He said police raids were underway to arrest the four members of the gang, including two women and an Omani national, who received the kidney of Azam, a resident of Faisalabad.

Police said soon after knowing about the arrest of Saqib and the victim, the four members of the gang fled from the house along with the foreigner who had got the kidney transplanted. They left behind the surgical instruments in the illegal ‘mini-operation theatre’ established in the rented house at Bahria Town Phase VIII. The police have also recovered the cell phone of Saqib which reportedly contained important contacts, videos of victims and kidney buyers.

The cell phone has been sent to the FIA to retrieve the call data record (CDR) and other information which can help the police in its investigation.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2023