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Islamabad, Pakistan- Police in Pakistan have recently cracked down on a heinous organ trafficking (Kidney Trade) syndicate masterminded by a notorious physician operating in the northeastern part of the country, specifically in the Kashmir region under Pakistan’s jurisdiction and the eastern Punjab area. This criminal network surreptitiously removed kidneys from unsuspecting patients without their knowledge and subsequently sold them to affluent clients.
Providing more alarming details, law enforcement officials have disclosed that the principal culprit, identified as Dr. Fawad Mukhtar, conducted these illicit surgeries within private residences to harvest kidneys. An accomplice, an auto mechanic by trade, administered anesthesia to the victims.
A total of eight individuals have been apprehended for their involvement in the surgical removal of kidneys from hundreds of patients, all of whom required these organs for life-saving transplants.
According to the police, the ringleader, Dr. Fawad, performed a staggering 328 such surgeries and sold the kidneys for exorbitant prices, reaching up to $34,000 (approximately Rs 28.27 lakh) each, as reported by CNN and corroborated by Mohsin Naqvi, the Chief Minister of Punjab province in Pakistan.
Fawad Mukhtar had been detained on five prior occasions for professional misconduct but had managed to secure bail each time, enabling him to resume his nefarious operations.
Authorities have confirmed at least three fatalities resulting from organ harvesting conducted in this manner. The criminal syndicate was particularly active in the Kashmir region under Pakistan’s administration and the eastern Punjab area, where unsuspecting individuals were targeted.
The transplants took place within private residences, often without the patients’ knowledge, a shocking revelation made by Mohsin Naqvi, the Chief Minister of Punjab province in Pakistan. It is alleged that a mechanic assisted Dr. Mukhtar during the surgical procedures and played a role in luring vulnerable patients away from hospitals.
In an appalling twist, kidneys were reportedly sold for prices soaring as high as $120,000 each, according to Naqvi. During a press conference, Naqvi expressed his profound dismay at the disturbing facts and figures that have surfaced: “There are a lot more transplants and illegal surgeries than this. These are the ones that we have confirmed.”
It is essential to note that in Pakistan, the commercial trade of human organs was declared illegal in 2010. The legislation imposes strict penalties on those caught engaging in organ trafficking, including a possible ten-year prison sentence and substantial fines. This legal framework aimed to deter unscrupulous medical practitioners, intermediaries, recipients, and donors from selling organs to offshore clients.
However, the resurgence of organ trafficking in Pakistan has been observed, driven by economic hardships and lax law enforcement. Notably, earlier this year, Punjab police dismantled another organ trafficking operation when they discovered a missing 14-year-old boy in an underground facility after his kidney had been surgically removed.
