A university graduate seeking a job at a medical equipment firm ended up losing one of his kidneys.

The company turned out to be fake and in the business of selling human organs.

The job seeker, 25, was attracted by the job offered by the Jie'ao Medical Equipment Sales Co Ltd in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, but after he joined the firm things went badly wrong.

25-year-old university graduate Xiahai (R) seeking a job at a medical equipment firm ended up losing one of his kidneys. In the picture Xiaohai asks for legal aid from a professional legal staff worker on Sept. 17, 2011.

The Nanjing-based Yangtze Evening News reported yesterday that Xiaohai, not his real name, graduated from college in July last year and received a job offer from the firm after he uploaded his resume onto jobs board www.zhaopin.com.

The firm offered him 3,000 (US$470) yuan a month and board and lodging. He would also qualify for sales commission, the firm said.

He accepted the offer and underwent a thorough medical examination which was said to have cost the firm 5,000 yuan. Later he realized that had been the preparation for the removal of one of his kidneys.

His employer, Wang Jin, hinted that the firm was in the business of selling kidneys, the report said. One of his colleagues had earned 40,000 yuan from selling his kidney while Wang had earned 110,000 yuan.

But Xiao wanted nothing to do with the business and was planning to leave the firm.

However, his identity card was confiscated by Wang, who also sent four men to keep an eye on him, the newspaper said. Wang sent him to Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province on a business trip with the four in October.

At a community health center in Xuzhou, he fell asleep after drinking a bottle of water offered by a nurse.

He woke up the next morning to find he was tied up and on a respiration machine: he realized he had lost a kidney. Hospital staff told him the surgery had been approved by his relative, according to the report.

Wang offered him 30,000 yuan and said that he would give him another 30,000 yuan later, the report said.

Wang said the firm planned to enlarge the business in the country's northwestern area, Xiaohai's hometown, and Wang promised to appoint him as director of that branch after he recovered. But Xiaohai later found out that at least two others had similar experiences.

The three decided to go to the police.

Investigations found that at least seven colleagues had had their kidneys removed.

Wang has been arrested by police and a hospital official in Xuzhou has also been caught by police, the newspaper said.

Under the law, anyone involved in the selling of human organs faces a prison term of up to 15 years.