Pakistan Police Bust Organ Trafficking Ring That Surgically Removed Kidneys From Hundreds

Police in Pakistan have busted an organ harvesting ring run by an infamous doctor, a report in CNN said. Eight people have been arrested for surgically removing kidneys from hundreds of patients for wealthy people needing a transplant. The police identified the kingpin as "Dr Fawad", who is accused of carrying out 328 such surgeries and selling them for prices as high as $34,000 (Rs 28.27 lakh), the outlet further said quoting Mohsin Naqvi, the Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab province.

Mr Naqvi also revealed that Dr Fawad purportedly had assistance during these operations from an unnamed car mechanic who administered anaesthesia.

The Chief Minister said that members of the gang lured patients away from hospitals and performed these surgeries privately, either in Lahore or Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"They were able to do this in Kashmir (PoK) because there is no law regarding kidney transplant, so it was easier for them to carry out the operations there," Mr Naqvi told CNN.

While three deaths have been confirmed so far, police are still in the process of verifying additional data. "There must be more operations that must have been carried out, the number is the only ones we've confirmed," said Mr Naqvi.

Dr Fawad was arrested five times before his latest act came to light, but managed to secure his release on each occasion and resume his illegal operations, the politician said. Shockingly, some of the victims whose kidneys were harvested were unaware that their organs had been removed.

The police became aware of the illegal act of the gang after a man approached them saying that he had been persuaded by one of the gang members to seek private medical treatment. When he later went to another doctor, he was told he didn't have a kidney.

The police then launched an investigation and made the arrests after two months, the CNN report said.