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LAHORE, Oct 24 (APP):The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested six suspects, including a ringleader, for their alleged involvement in the illegal transplantation and trade of human organs.
According to an FIA spokesperson, the arrests were made by the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle, Lahore, on the special directives of Director General FIA Riffat Mukhtar, as part of an ongoing crackdown against elements involved in unlawful kidney transplants.
The arrested accused have been identified as Muhammad Athar, Babar Masih, Muhammad Imran, Nadeem Abbas, Bilal Ahmad, and Ijaz Ahmad. The suspects include donors, agents, and employees of private laboratories. They were apprehended from Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were involved in illegal buying, selling, and transplantation of human kidneys. The spokesperson said Babar Masih had been wanted by FIA Lahore since 2021 in three separate cases.
The suspects were allegedly preparing fake tissue-matching reports to carry out illegal kidney transplants, charging patients huge sums of money, and conducting procedures in private hospitals.
An FIA official said that initial findings indicate the involvement of several other facilitators and individuals in this network. Further arrests are expected as the investigation progresses.
“The accused will be prosecuted on solid evidence to ensure exemplary punishment for this heinous crime,” said the Director Capt (retd) Muhammad Ali Zia.
He urged the public to immediately report any information regarding illegal organ trade or transplantation to the nearest FIA office.