Investigators have found that human placenta was allegedly being used to manufacture anti-ageing injections, as authorities intercepted a 100-kilogram consignment being smuggled out to Vietnam.

The development comes amid an ongoing investigation into a human placenta smuggling case that surfaced in Islamabad last week.

Sources said the anti-ageing injections made from the material sold for close to Rs700,000 each.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has identified alleged agents operating in Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi and has begun investigating the possible involvement of waste management companies in the racket.

Investigators are also examining whether customs officials were complicit.

The placenta, a temporary organ that forms in the womb during pregnancy and serves as the life-sustaining link between mother and child until birth, is classified as infectious medical waste under health regulations and must be disposed of through specified procedures.

Under Pakistan’s Human Organs Transplantation Act, 2010, the commercial sale or purchase of any human organ, tissue or body part is banned and constitutes a serious offence.

The case emerged after the FIA and the Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA) conducted a joint raid on a private residence in Islamabad on June 25, acting on information about an alleged illegal trade in human organs.

Initial investigations indicated that the accused purchased human placenta from various hospitals, mislabelled it as sheep placenta, and allegedly smuggled it abroad.