RAWALPINDI: Police have unearthed a gang allegedly involved in depriving people of their kidneys and transplanting them to foreigners.

Police and the Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority (PHOTA) on Monday conducted a surprise raid at a private hospital in Morgah, arrested 10 people, including three doctors, and recovered Rs20 million from them.

The arrests came after PHOTA received information that a man had died during an illegal transplant of kidney in a private hospital located within the limits of Morgah police while the other one was in critical condition.

Following the information, the PHOTA staff and police conducted a joint raid at the private hospital, mostly known for kidney transplants, and arrested 10 persons, including three doctors and paramedical staff, in addition to recovery of Rs20 million.

A police spokesman said it was an important operation in Morgah which led to the arrest of the suspects.

He identified the suspects as Dr Zahid, Athar and Abid Latif, Asrar Hussain, Arshad Mahmood, Shahzad, Shahnawaz, Mohammad Imran, Asim and Ansur Rehman.

The police said PHOTA had received information that kidney operations were going on in the private hospital during which a 65-year-old man, Rai Iftikhar Ali, died while another person had been shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

In February, The Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) Police unearthed a gang that was involved in depriving people of their kidneys and transplanting them to foreigners for higher prices and arrested a man while he was transporting the patient to his native town.

The suspects had also tried to bribe the PHP official who refused to accept it and arrested him on the charges of gratification to police and rash driving. Initially, the FIR was registered on the charges of bribing police and rush driving, but after the medical examination of the victim confirmed the removal of his kidney, the FIR was amended with addition of other sections of the law.

After the registration of the case, the police launched an investigation which led to the tracing of four other members of the gang, including two women, who sued a rented house in Bahria Town’s Phase VIII as a mini-operation theatre.

The Rawat police made some arrests in connection with the kidney transplant case but did not reveal further information about the case.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2023