Iraq busts kidney-sale loan ring in Baghdad

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency arrested four people, including two women, suspected of operating a loan scheme that pressured low-income borrowers to sell their kidneys, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry said the suspects allegedly targeted financially vulnerable citizens with high-interest loans and cash advances, then imposed difficult repayment terms and used mounting debts to pressure them into selling organs, particularly kidneys.

The operation was carried out by organized-crime units in Baghdad’s Al-Rusafa district after judicial approval, according to the ministry.

Investigators seized mobile phones and records documenting the suspects’ lending activities and negotiations with victims.

Last week, Baghdad police arrested two men in a separate case involving an alleged plan to sell a kidney for 14 million Iraqi dinars (about $9,200).

The Supreme Judicial Council also reported last week that Iraqi courts registered 183 human-trafficking cases in August, up from 167 in July.