FIA busts illegal kidney trade network in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested nine people, including a prominent urologist and an employee of a private hospital, over their alleged involvement in illegal kidney transplants and organ trafficking in the capital.

According to FIA officials, the arrests were made during a raid at a well-known private hospital in Islamabad, where authorities suspect unlawful kidney removal procedures were being conducted. The doctor and the hospital employee were identified by officials as central figures in the alleged network.

Raid at private hospital

Officials said several other individuals found at the site were also taken into custody for questioning and moved to the FIA office. These included people described as alleged donors, recipients and members of the hospital staff.

The action was carried out by the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle, Islamabad Zone. Officials said the operation was conducted under the direction of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, FIA Director General Usman Anwar and Director Islamabad Zone Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari.

Investigation widened

FIA officials said the crackdown was part of a broader investigation into an alleged organ trafficking network that had been operating by targeting poor people from less developed areas of southern Punjab. The districts specifically mentioned by officials were Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan.

According to the FIA, the suspects are alleged to have persuaded financially troubled individuals to sell their kidneys for relatively small sums, after which the organs were allegedly sold onward for much higher amounts.

Officials said the inquiry had now been expanded and that more raids were being carried out to arrest other suspected members of the network.

Ongoing probe

The case centres on allegations of illegal kidney transplantation and organised organ trafficking, with investigators examining the role of medical personnel, hospital-linked staff and others believed to be connected to the operation.

Authorities have not limited the probe to those arrested in the initial raid, and the FIA said efforts were continuing to trace the wider network. The agency’s investigation is focused on how vulnerable people were allegedly identified and brought into the scheme, as well as the role of those accused of facilitating the transplants.

The arrests mark a significant development in the FIA’s ongoing inquiry into illegal organ trade activities in Islamabad and beyond, particularly those allegedly linked to the exploitation of impoverished people from southern Punjab.