ISLAMABAD (MNN); A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Tuesday extended the physical remand of five suspects by two days in a case involving the alleged illegal trade of human organs and human placenta.
The suspects, who were arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), were presented before Judicial Magistrate Ahmed Shehzad Gondal. During the hearing, the FIA requested the court to grant a nine-day physical remand to facilitate further investigation.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court approved a two-day extension in the suspectsâ physical remand and directed investigators to produce them again upon completion of the remand period.
Defence counsel, representing the two Pakistani nationals among the accused, argued before the court that his clients had no involvement in the alleged trafficking network. He maintained that the FIA had wrongly nominated the Pakistani suspects in the case and claimed they had no connection with the alleged offences.
According to investigators, the five arrested individuals include three foreign nationals, including Chinese citizens, and two Pakistani nationals.
The arrests were made during a joint operation conducted by the FIA and the Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA) in Islamabadâs F-7 sector a few days ago.
During the raid, authorities reportedly recovered a large quantity of fresh, dried and processed human placenta, which was taken into custody as evidence.
Investigators allege that the suspects were involved in illegally obtaining human placenta from hospitals located in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Lahore.
According to the FIA, the collected placenta was allegedly processed and falsely declared as animal organs, specifically sheep organs, before being exported abroad.
The agency is continuing its investigation to determine the full scope of the alleged trafficking network, including the procurement, processing and international shipment of the biological material.
The court directed the FIA to present the suspects again after the completion of their physical remand for further legal proceedings.
