The woman told officials in the central Bahawalpur district that doctors discovered the removal of the organ while treating her for a urinary tract infection she contracted after the unlawful surgery, the Daily Times said.

The victim, who was married three years ago, was operated on at a local hospital after developing complications from an earlier miscarriage.

She claimed she lost the child because of beating by her husband, who is accused of later colluding with the doctors to remove the kidney without her knowledge.

Poverty-stricken Pakistanis can earn around $1,000 selling kidneys, although middlemen and doctors pocket most of the proceeds. With no legal regulation of the organ trade, transplants cost as little as $5,000 compared with $100,000 in the US.