LAHORE, April 3: After a three-month probe, the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) scam has taken an ugly turn as the samples of body organs and tissues sent for chemical and histopathological analysis have been stolen, it is learnt.

An official told Dawn the stolen samples included parts of brain, stomach, liver and spleen of four PIC patients. The analysis of these samples was of vital importance for being potential evidence for identifying the actual cause of deaths of the PIC patients.

The PIC drugs’ reaction had claimed lives of more than 150 cardiac patients and affected health of thousands others.

The official said the administrations involved in the process had hushed up the issue of the theft of the samples. He said experts had performed medico-legal autopsies on four victims of the PIC scam at the King Edward Medical University’s Forensic Medicine Department.

The autopsies were performed on the patients in the last week of January and first week of February.

After the preliminary analysis in the medico-legal autopsies, the experts involved other laboratories to collect concrete evidence. For this purpose they had dispatched body organs, tissues including brain, liver, heart, spleen, kidney and stomach for histopathological assessment while the blood and urine samples, tissues of heart, brain, liver, kidney, intestine and stomach were sent for chemical analysis.

Initially, these samples were not processed at these laboratories for one month or so. Later, the samples were found missing from the Chief Chemical Examiner Laboratory, Punjab, located on Birdwood Road and Histopathology Lab in New Anarkali.

Similarly, some samples were also sent for microscopic analysis of bone-marrow at the Forensic Lab. They were also found missing.

The analysis reports of these various laboratories were not presented to the probing agencies so far.

The official said neither the health authorities nor other investigating agencies were involved in probing the serious issue.

The theft of the samples and tissues from laboratories has exposed the negligence on the part of the officials.

Health Secretary Arif Nadeem was not available for comment.

Health Special Secretary Dawood Bareach said he was on official leave these days and was unable to comment on the issue.

Health Additional Secretary (Technical) Dr Anwar Janjua expressed his ignorance about the incident, saying the health department was not responsible for any mishap in the Chief Chemical Examiner Laboratory, Punjab for being under the administrative control of the Home Department.

Quoting a histopathology lab official, he said there was no theft of body organs or samples.