Kidney theft case: Bail pleas of two suspects rejected

The men were arrested in connection with detaining 24 persons, allegedly to steal their organs

RAWALPINDI: A magistrate on Tuesday rejected the bail pleas of two men arrested in connection with illegal kidney transplants and detaining 24 persons, allegedly to steal their organs.

Magistrate Waqar Mansoor Baryar dismissed bail pleas filed by Faqeer Hussain, the driver of a kidney-stealing racket, and Shehzad Qayyum alias Shani, who allegedly arranged kidney ‘donors’.

In their bail petitions, filed through Advocate Raja Imran Aziz, the accused had maintained that there was no evidence to suggest that they had detained the 24 persons or stolen kidneys from any of them.

The accused further noted that Rawat police could not register a case against them under the Transplant of Human Organs and Tissues Act 2010.

Under the law, a monitoring committee headed by the health minister and including eight other members could initiate criminal cases against the alleged illegal transplantation of human organs. Further, a complainant could also lodge an FIR to report that they were forced to donate a kidney.

The accused further said that the police had completed their investigations and had not been able to put forward substantial evidence against them.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2016.