After arriving home with a new iPad 2 and an iPhone, Zheng's mother was suspicious. It didn't take long for him to admit to selling his kidney on the black market.
His health has since been deteriorating and his mother has taken up the issue with the authorities.
According to a report in the Shanghai Daily, the hospital where the operation was performed was not qualified to perform organ transplants.
The hospital has reportedly claimed no knowledge of the surgery, saying the department that did the surgery had been contracted to a Fujian businessman. The matter is still under investigation.
The Chinese government previously tried in vain to clamp down on the online trade of organs, which is reportedly commonplace in the country.
The incident has been cited as an extreme example of materialism in modern China. Apple products are especially popular in the country, and last month a fight even broke out between shoppers as they queued for the iPad 2.
Share