Islamabad (GNP): The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested five suspects over an illegal commercial kidney transplant network operating in Islamabad, officials said. The agency has also seized three vehicles and frozen two properties worth a combined Rs87.5 million.
According to an FIA statement, the agency’s Anti-Corruption Circle in Islamabad carried out the operation jointly with the Human Organ Transplantation Authority (HOTA). The team raided a house in PWD Society, where investigators found evidence of an illegal kidney transplant.
Three suspects were arrested at the site and two others were detained later. A court has granted the arrested suspects seven days of physical remand, the FIA said.
Investigators described how the network worked. The recipient allegedly paid Rs3 million in cash, while agents arranged a donor and promised him Rs400,000. Of that amount, Rs340,000 was meant for the donor and Rs60,000 was to be shared among three agents as commission.
The FIA said the group carried out transplants in residential properties without the necessary medical qualifications or certification. Agents allegedly arranged the required tests through a hospital, using referral letters that falsely presented donors as close relatives of recipients.
Investigators said such testing was obtained under the names of recipients’ relatives to bypass restrictions on approved donor relationships. A technician at a hospital in Islamabad also arranged dialysis for recipients, while patients whose conditions worsened after surgery were moved to another hospital.
The suspected network involved agents, a doctor, a nurse, an anaesthesia provider, medicine suppliers, laboratory-testing facilitators and dialysis providers. Investigators said it had operated from private locations in PWD Society, Bahria Town Phase 4 and Peshawar.
The money trail then led to property. The FIA said funds earned through the illegal transplants were used to buy two houses in Islamabad. One suspect bought a 10-marla house in Media Town for Rs62.5 million, and another bought a five-marla house in Jinnah Garden Phase 1 for Rs25 million.
The agency said both properties have been frozen through notices issued under Section 5 of the FIA Act 1974. Investigators have also written to banks for the suspects’ financial records and are considering separate money-laundering proceedings against the two property owners.
The operation also recovered Rs1 million in cash and led to the seizure of three vehicles, a Changan Oshan X7 and two Honda Civic cars. Their transfers and registrations have been frozen through the relevant excise office, according to the FIA.
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Teams from HOTA, the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) inspected the suspected facility. They are expected to submit separate reports.
The case was registered on 15 October as FIR No. 60/2026 under Sections 9, 10 and 11(a)(ii) of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act 2010, read with Sections 34, 419 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The FIA said raids are continuing at various locations to arrest other nominated suspects.
The agency said the investigation is ongoing and the allegations have yet to be established in court.
