Lahore police have made further revelations as they investigate a female health worker and her property dealer husband in connection with an illegal kidney transplant scandal.
Important new details have emerged during the investigation into the scandal.
A group of eight people, including Dr. Fawad Mumtaz, had the support of a female healthcare worker whose property dealer husband supplied donors. Two kidney sellers also joined the gang after selling their organs.
The eight-member gang which was led by Dr Fawad Mumtaz also included a disabled person named Shaukat who was the frontman of the ringleader.
The frontman arranged for illegal kidney transplants of 65 domestic and foreign clients.
Another key player in the racket was a man named Liaquat who sold his kidney to the racket 15 years ago and then went on to recruit 15 other donors. A man named Farooq also sold his organ to join the racket.
Police said that the health worker Sonia and her husband Waheed Tahir used to arrange donors.
Sonia’s husband is a property dealer and is said to have used his contacts to find people who were willing to sell their kidneys.
The police investigation is still underway and more arrests are expected.
The ring operated mainly in Lahore, Taxila, and Azad Kashmir. It charged local patients up to Rs3 million while charging foreign patients a staggering Rs10 million.
The racket performed these risky medical procedures in people’s homes as they avoided strict regulations and safety measures that are typically found in hospitals.
Dr. Fawad Mumtaz, who has been arrested five times for the same crimes, was able to return to his illegal activities each time he was released on bail.
Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that three people had died because of the gang’s operations.
In one very bad case, a patient at Jinnah Hospital was tricked into giving up one of their healthy kidneys. The victim only found out when he went to see another doctor.
According to the CM, the ring had illegally taken out and transplanted 328 kidneys.
