KUALA LUMPUR: A man advertised and sold one of his kidneys for RM100,000 to pay off his father's debt to loan sharks.
Kosmo reported that a clerk who wants to be known as Zurrad, 31, said his father took a loan from a loan shark to be used for investment purposes but ended up incurring losses.
He said he then decided to advertise his organ on Facebook because he could no longer be chased by loan sharks every day in Dec 2022.
"Our family didn't know that my father was in debt until he sold his old car, claiming it was rarely used.
"It turned out that my father did this to pay off the loan sharks, but the money from the car sale was still insufficient, causing us to be hunted by loan sharks every day," he said.
He said that few individuals contacted him after five months of uploading the advertisement.
He added that, unfortunately, he needs to go through many procedures to ensure his kidney is compatible with the recipient.
Zurrad then met a buyer from Johor who happened to be looking for a kidney donor for his father, who was suffering from chronic kidney disease.
"The kidney transfer process took a year. The buyer was willing to pay me RM100,000. I was fortunate because the buyer also covered the RM150,000 cost of the organ transplant at a private hospital," he said.
He said he can now breathe a sigh of relief after living with one kidney for six months, but he also accepts the risks and stays prepared for any health issues, all for the sake of his family.
Yesterday, it was reported that some individuals openly sell their kidneys on Facebook because of financial hardship, despite knowing it's illegal.
This illegal activity was detected in a Kidney Donor Search group, with some advertising a price of RM55,000 for one kidney.
It has been active since Dec 2022, with most sellers providing personal details to interested buyers.