Pakistani authorities, amidst a gradual rise in transplant tourism in the country, as reported by the dpa news agency, have busted a gang engaging in the illegal trade of human kidneys and transplants.

“The gang leader, a doctor, confessed to conducting at least 328 illegal kidney transplants," announced Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi during a late Sunday press conference.

Naqvi revealed that the individuals in the gang had been harvesting kidneys, enticing people with money, and occasionally deceiving victims by promising free treatment for other ailments without their knowledge.

The gang charged local patients US$10,000 and foreigners US$35,000.

Just last month, police in Lahore, located in the eastern city, uncovered another kidney transplant operation at a private farmhouse, rescuing two foreign nationals undergoing the procedure.

Organ trafficking is once again flourishing in the country," disclosed an official from the Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority (PHOTA) to dpa on Monday.

Although Pakistan once served as a prime destination for foreigners seeking organ transplants, the practice was criminalized in 2010, carrying penalties of up to 10 years in jail and fines. However, corruption and increasing poverty have undermined the enforcement of the law, leading to a resurgence of illegal organ trading in recent years.

Pakistan had previously been a popular destination for foreigners seeking organ transplants until authorities criminalized the practice in 2010, imposing penalties of up to ten years in prison as well as fines.

Nonetheless, the law has proven ineffective in curbing this practice due to corruption and rising poverty levels, resulting in a resurgence of illegal organ trading in recent years.

Donors in this illegal trade are frequently impoverished people who sell their organs for pitiful sums, often a few hundred dollars, and rarely receive adequate post-operative care. Unfortunately, some of them die as a result of complications from these procedures.