Pakistani police have arrested more than 20 alleged members of a criminal gang accused of removing hundreds of kidneys from their victims to sell to wealthy clients. The gang is alleged to have been operating in Pakistan for nearly a decade, in various cities including Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The police said the organs were being sold to clients for up to 150,000 rupees ($1,200) per kidney. According to some reports, the organs were being sold to clients in the UAE, India, Turkey, Canada and other countries.
Police have identified a surgeon, an agent, an organ broker and other middlemen as the core members of the criminal gang. The victims were lured with false promises of payment and then their kidneys were removed without their consent.
Police further allege that the gang had inside connections with hospitals and pathology laboratories and were paying high fees to medical professionals for their assistance in selling kidneys.
The incident highlights the serious consequences of black market organ trafficking and the desparation of some of the world’s poorest countries, where desparate individuals are enticed to sell their organs for small amounts of money. The issue of inhumane, unethical and illegal organ selling remains a major challenge for authorities in Pakistan, and other developing countries. In response to the incident, the Pakistan government has launched an investigation into the matter and is working with law enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal organ trafficking.
