RAWALPINDI: Though they managed to obtain orders to seal a private hospital that is thought to have been involved in illegal kidney trade, the police had not yet sealed the establishment as of Tuesday night, arguing they could not do so without the presence of a court official.

The local police on Tuesday obtained orders to seal a private hospital in Morgah from Area Magistrate Naveed Qamar Tarar and launched a hunt for those accused of being involved in kidney trade, including four doctors who were nominated in the case registered with the Rawat police.

Earlier this week, the police had recovered 24 people, who were being detained by the organ trafficking ring.

They were lured into Rawalpindi with promises of good jobs and money and were detained in a multi-storey building in Bahria Town Phase VII for two weeks.

The police had then started raids to arrest four doctors and a cashier of a hospital who had gone missing since the raid to recover the 24 detainees had been conducted and a case was registered against them on charges of kidnapping and illegal detention under the Transplantation of Organs and Tissues Act.

Those nominated in the FIR registered on Oct 15 include Dr Zahid Iqbal, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Dr Tauseef Ahmed, Dr Raja Mehmood, a cashier at the hospital Laique Ahmed, and other staff members.

After the detainees said their mobile phones SIM cards were also taken away, a charge of robbery was also added to the already registered FIR against the private hospital’s doctors and their accomplices.

Shahzad alias Shani, Faqeer Hussein alias Fakeera, Bilquis Bibi and the owner of the private building where the 24 individuals were detained were also booked by the police, arrested and sent to Adiala Jail on a 14-day judicial remand to help recover the mobile phones and SIM cards and to track down the other suspects.

Asked if the four doctors nominated in the FIR with the Rawat police will be arrested, City Police Officer (CPO) Israr Ahmed Khan said they will be arrested and that previous cases of illegal kidney trade will also be reopened.

The CPO said he had ordered for all those nominated in the FIR to be arrested and investigated as no one is above the law.

Superintended of Police (SP) Iftikharul Haq said that all the 24 people, who were detained by the organ trafficking ring and were recovered by the police earlier this week, will be asked to record their statements in order to help with the case.

They will be produced in the court of the area magistrate for recording their statements, after which they will be allowed to go home.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2016