Kidney of differently-abled man forcibly removed

Victim was dumped at secluded place in the city


Adeel Chaudhry March 17, 2021

CHICHAWATNI:

An unidentified suspect forcibly removed the kidney of a differently-abled youth in Chichawatni on Tuesday.

According to the police report, a few days ago, a differently-abled youth identified as Obaid, a resident of Chichawatni, went missing from his neighbourhood.

Later, the victim, who is unable to speak, was found dumped at a secluded place. He was rushed to a hospital for immediate treatment. Hospital officials said that the victim was in a critical condition and had been shifted to the ICU of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore.

After the incident came to light, there was fear and panic in the local area. The differently-abled victim, who is mute, was abducted and his kidney was forcibly removed from his body. The suspect reportedly took advantage of the victim’s inability to speak.

Local residents of the area expressed anger over the tragic incident. They demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar take notice of the incident, provide the best medical and financial assistance to the differently-abled victim and arrest the fugitive who was involved in the heinous crime.

Incidents of illegal organ transplant were not uncommon.

On September 10, 2018, police arrest a member of an illegal organ trade gang from Islamabad after a resident of Bahawalpur approached police with the matter.

The gang was making millions from this illicit activity.

The issue came to the light when a man who had paid the gang Rs2 million approached the police with a complaint. The complainant, a resident of Bahawalpur, said he was looking for a kidney transplant for his younger brother whose kidneys had failed. He came to know about a man, named Salman, who transplanted kidneys and contacted him.

Salman invited him to meet the doctors at a hotel where the complainant met one Doctor Aamir, Abid Nawaz and five other unidentified men and two ladies.

The deal to arrange and transplant kidneys for the patient was finalised in Rs2 million and the complainant paid the suspects Rs1 million on the spot. Later, the gang said they would transplant the kidneys when a donor is arranged and reportedly also threatened the patient’s family not to tell anyone about the deal.

The victim however approached the police claiming the suspects were neither performing the transplant nor were they returning the amount.

On October 28, 2017, provincial authorities busted a gang of illegal organ transplant in Lahore. Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority arrested two, including a doctor, involved in the racket in the Township area.

Dr Abid and a manager of a local hospital were taken into custody during the raid while the remaining staff managed to escape from the scene.

The suspects created 10 escape routes through operation theaters as contingency plans for a police raid.

The Punjab Human Organ Transplantation Authority (PHOTA) is the primary provincial entity responsible for oversight of organ and stem cell transplantation, and for initiatives to increase organ donor registration and donation in Punjab.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2021.

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