SAHIWAL: The Harappa police have launched an investigation to bust a gang involved in illegal organ trade, trapping the people from the poor segments of society and removing their vital organs like kidneys against their consent.
The issue surfaced after a brick kiln worker from Harappa city was deprived of his kidney through fraud and force in Islamabad while he remained unaware of the surgery.
The victim, Muhammad Tariq, was lured to take a recreational trip to Islamabad only to have his kidney forcibly removed at an undisclosed underground facility in the federal capital.
This investigation was launched after Tariq reported the matter to police, complaining that his kidney was removed without consent by one Asghar Ali. Police registered a first information report (FIR) on Aug 22.
Tariq, 27, a resident of Chak 10/1-L, tehsil Sahiwal, works at a local brick kiln. Several months ago, he became acquainted with Asghar Ali, 24, a resident of Chak 108/7-R, and both developed a friendship. In the first week of August, Asghar convinced Tariq to join him for a recreational trip to Islamabad. They traveled to the federal capital on Aug 7.
Victim tricked into travel to Islamabad where incident happened
Tariq recounted that upon reaching Islamabad, Asghar took him to an unknown location where two more men were present. He says he was subjected to physical abuse and torture and was administered an injection that left him unconscious. Upon regaining consciousness, he found a long deep cut to the left side of his abdomen. Upon inquiry, he was informed that his kidney had been removed.
The suspects threatened him with dire consequences if he disclosed the incident to anyone or police. Police claimed that he was hushed by payment of Rs250,000.
Tariq claimed he had managed to escape from Islamabad on Aug 11 and returned to his village the next day. He reported the incident to his father, Ghulam Muhammad, and an FIR was registered with the Harappa police Muhammad Asghar 10 days later. After registration of the case, Asghar went underground. He is still at large.
Harappa Station House Officer Zaid Anjum says the medical examination of Tariq confirmed that his kidney had been removed. He claims they are actively pursuing the leads related to the main suspect and his accomplices.
Investigating Officer Farooq Nazeer told Dawn that suspect Asghar has been taken into custody and police were interrogating him.
The SHO says the initial investigation reveals that the victim had unwittingly become a part of an illegal organ trafficking ring. Asghar reportedly gave Tariq Rs250,000 to dissuade him from reporting the matter to police. However, upon returning to the village, Tariq was informed that the sum given to him was inadequate. Presently, an individual reportedly receives Rs700,000 to Rs800,000 for selling a kidney. After coming to know of the price, Tariq approached Asghar to demand more money but his demand was rejected. Consequently, he proceeded to file an FIR with the police.
SHO Anjum claims that police are actively investigating the case and have dispatched a team to Islamabad to locate the site where Tariq was held. Police also tracked the call record data of Asghar’s mobile phone to locate his location in Islamabad from Aug 7 to 17. He says that surgery to remove a kidney requires a specialised medical facility and a hospital where Tariq must have been kept after surgery. He hopes that the ring involved in the organ trafficking would soon be busted.
This case needs the attention of law enforcement agencies to look further into it. Tariq, the poor brick kiln worker, had no idea who was his kidney client, how much money was taken by his abductors, who was the doctor and where his surgery was done in Islamabad. It is obvious that Asghar cannot alone in such a case, which needs special procedure and facilities to complete the task.
It is important to note that a similar kind of incident was reported in Bhalwal, district Sargodha in February 2017 where the client was an Arab man.
Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2023
