Organ traffickers who removed hundreds of kidneys arrested – BBC News World

Eight members of an organ trafficking ring in northeast Pakistan have been arrested, police say.

The ring’s alleged leader, Fawad Mukhtar, is accused of removing the kidneys of more than 300 people and transplanting them to wealthy clients.

He had previously been arrested five times for negligence, but managed to obtain bail each time.

At least three people died from having their organs removed in this way, authorities said.

The gang was believed to operate in the eastern province of Punjab as well as Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The transplants were carried out in private homes, often without the patient’s knowledge, explained the chief minister of Punjab province, Mohsin Naqvi.

A car mechanic is said to have worked as Mr Mukhtar’s surgical assistant and helped get vulnerable patients out of hospitals.

The kidneys were then sold for up to 10 million rupees (£99,000; $120,000) each, Naqvi added.

“The facts and figures that have reached us make our hearts tremble,” Naqvi said during a news conference on Sunday.

“There are many more illegal transplants and surgeries than these. These are the ones we have confirmed.”

The trade in human organs was made illegal in Pakistan in 2010.

Punishment for those caught includes a decade-long jail term and huge fines in the hope that this will stop sales to foreign customers by exploitative doctors, middlemen, recipients and donors.

However, there has been an increase in organ trafficking in the country as people struggle with low wages and poor law enforcement.

In January, Punjab police uncovered another organ trafficking ring after a missing 14-year-old boy was found in an underground laboratory after having his kidney removed.