Pakistan is investigating a syndicate suspected of smuggling alleged human placenta from hospitals to make anti-aging injections. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have accused the ring of buying 200kg (440lbs) of the organ from various hospitals each month. They dry and process them before shipping it abroad, the FIA told BBC Urdu. During a raid in Islamabad last week, officials uncovered 500kg of what is believed to be human placenta at an illegal processing facility, leading to the arrest of five people. Photographs shared by the agency show trays of dried placenta arranged in trolley carts inside a house which has been "converted into a facility for storing and processing placenta". Separately, FIA officials on Wednesday intercepted a 100kg shipment of the human body tissue at the Islamabad airport that was bound for Vietnam. The five suspects bought the placentas from hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi at about 800 rupees ($2.90; £2.20) per piece, says Hina Kanwal, an officer at Pakistan's Human Organ Transplant Authority.
Published: July 3, 2026 9:39 am
Source: BBC — Read original