Pakistani police have uncovered a human organ trafficking network led by a doctor and a mechanic that carried out more than 328 illegal kidney transplants, resulting in the deaths of at least three people, authorities announced Monday.
Fawad Mukhtar, a doctor who has been arrested five times in the past for medical errors, used the mechanic, who remained anonymous, as an assistant and anesthesiologist during surgical procedures, according to a police investigation.
The operations were carried out on people who were found in hospitals and lured by false promises, a police investigation revealed.
Kidneys were removed from private individuals’ homes or transplanted, sometimes without the patient’s knowledge, said Mohsin Naqvi, chief minister of Punjab province.
The organs were sold to foreign customers at a price of up to 10 million rupees (33,000 euros), he said.
The eight-member network operated in Punjab (central east) and Pakistani-administered Kashmir (northeast). His activities resulted in the deaths of at least three people.
“The facts and figures that have come to us are heartbreaking,” Mr Naqvi said at a news conference on Sunday evening.
The gang is responsible for “many more illegal operations and transplants than that.” These are the ones we have confirmed,” he added.
Pakistan banned human organ trafficking in 2010, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
But that doesn’t stop secret transplant pharmacies from thriving in this country. They typically do not have the medical equipment or expertise required for such operations, and patients often die as a result.