International Desk: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has uncovered an alleged international trafficking network involved in the illegal collection, processing and export of human placentas, arresting five suspects, including three Chinese nationals and two Pakistani citizens, during raids in Islamabad.
The FIA conducted operations at premises in Islamabad’s F-7/1 and E-11 sectors, where investigators claim human biological material was being processed illegally. Authorities seized processing machinery, packaged material and biological samples, all of which have been sent for forensic examination.
According to the agency’s preliminary findings, the suspects allegedly obtained human placentas from hospitals, dried and processed them before falsely labelling the products as “sheep placenta” for export to Vietnam and other countries. Investigators believe the material was intended for use in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
The FIA alleges the network sourced human placentas from hospitals in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore. Investigators are now examining whether hospital officials or medical staff played any role in facilitating the alleged operation.
Officials have stressed that forensic testing will determine whether the seized material consisted solely of human placentas or included other human tissue. The agency has clarified that there is no official evidence or confirmation at this stage of any trafficking involving human flesh.
The suspects have been booked under Pakistan’s Human Organs and Tissues Transplantation Act, 2010, along with other relevant legal provisions. A court has remanded all five accused into FIA custody for further questioning as the investigation continues.
