Illegal kidney transplantation network busted

Officials said the group was trafficking human organs

LAHORE:

A transplantation racket operating in Sheikhupura has been dismantled by the Punjab Human Organ Transplantation Authority (PHOTA) in collaboration with police and other law enforcement agencies.

A raid was conducted at a hospital located on Faisalabad Road, where a PHOTA vigilance team apprehended eight individuals red-handed while performing an illegal kidney transplant procedure.

Among the arrested is Dr Waqas Mustafa, the prime suspect, along with two women, operation theatre technicians, agents and support staff.

The illegal transplant procedure was being carried out on a recipient belonging to Africa, while the donor, a resident of Sheikhupura, was being exploited without any financial compensation.

According to initial investigations, the gang had charged Rs7 million from the recipient for the illegal transplant.

c, targeting vulnerable individuals from impoverished backgrounds, often misleading or coercing them into selling their kidneys.

PHOTA officials said efforts were ongoing to apprehend Naseem, an alleged fake doctor linked to the gang. Raids were conducted in Sheikhupura and other cities to arrest facilitators and dismantle the broader network involved in the criminal activity.

"Punjab has witnessed a surge in cases of illegal organ transplantation despite strict regulations under the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Act 2010, which prohibits commercial organ trade and makes mandatory stringent licensing of transplantation facilities," a health official said.