Court extends remand of 5 suspects in human placenta smuggling case

An Islamabad court on Tuesday handed over five suspects to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for two more days in a case pertaining to alleged illegal collection and export of human placenta.

The suspects, including three foreign nationals and two Pakistanis, were presented before Judicial Magistrate Ahmed Shahzad Gondal by the FIA. During the hearing, FIA officials requested nine days of physical remand, saying more time was needed to examine evidence and investigate the wider network behind the operation.

After hearing both sides, the court granted a two-day extension and directed investigators to produce the suspects again after the remand period ends.

A lawyer representing the two Pakistani suspects denied the allegations and told the court that his clients had no role in the alleged activities. He claimed they had been wrongly included in the case.

The suspects were arrested during a joint raid by the FIA and the Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA) in Islamabad’s F-7 sector. According to investigators, officials recovered a large quantity of human placenta from the site, including fresh, dried and processed material.

The FIA said the suspects were allegedly collecting placenta from hospitals in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Lahore before processing it for export.