Eight members of a kidney-stealing organ trafficking ring have been arrested in northeast Pakistan, according to the BBC.
The ring's alleged leader Fawad Mukhtar is accused of taking the kidneys from more than 300 people and transplanting them into rich clients.
Police say at least three people have died from having their organs harvested within the Punjab province, as well as in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The chief minister of Punjab province Mohsin Naqvi said the transplants occurred in private homes, often without the patient knowing.
A car mechanic was believed to have worked as Mukhtar's surgical assistant and helped lure patients from hospitals prior to the harvesting.
The kidneys are believed to be sold for up to 10 million rupees each (NZ$59,000).
"The facts and figures that have come to us make the heart tremble," Naqvi said during a press conference on Sunday.
"There are a lot more transplants and illegal surgeries than this. These are the ones that we have confirmed."
Pakistan outlawed commercial trade of human organs in 2010, with the punishment for the crime including a decade-long jail sentence and fines, in an effort to stop sales to overseas clients.
Mukhtar has previously been arrested five times for malpractice but secured bail each time.
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