Police in northern Shanxi Province are investigating a private hospital for suspected cooperation with an organ trading gang to force a debt-laden man to sell his kidney, reported China Youth Daily today.

The Changliang Hospital in the province's Linfen City was closed after a 26-year-old man reported to police that he suffered health problems due to a surgery to transplant his kidney to a man he didn't know in January.

Hu Jie said the gang lured him into selling his kidney last October, promising to pay him 40,000 yuan (US$ 6,097) to clear his gambling debts. But Hu changed his mind after seeing the shabby condition of the hospital, fearing his life would be in danger.

Hu convinced his kidney recipient to cancel the transplant after begging him in tears for about half an hour. But two gang members disagreed and held him captive. His escape attempt failed twice and his kidney was forcibly removed by three-member surgery team in the hospital.

Hu said he received only 27,000 yuan for his kidney and the gang disappeared when he tried to find them.

He reported to the Shanxi Province Health Bureau and Linfen police on March 7. The local police said a head nurse named Qu Xian had been detained for her involvement in Hu's surgery.

Hu said a health bureau official earlier told him the transplant was the act of a few individuals and had nothing to do with the hospital.