It makes me quite sad to report this, but a young 17-year old student from Eastern China has sold a kidney in order to purchase an iPad 2, if reports from The Global Times are to be believed.

This is how the story goes. Young freshman “Zheng” – his nickname or last name, we’re not sure – contacted a kidney-selling agent online, they offered about $3,000 USD (20,000 yuan) to him for his kidney. The operation was then carried out at some less than moral hospital in Chenzhou. Of course the hospital is denying any such operation, and is reportedly claiming that their “urology department is contracted to a businessman in Fujian.”

This story got blown open when the young Zheng came home with his iPad 2 and other electronics gadgets, laptop, iPhone and whatever else the poor one-kidney teen could carry. His mother became suspicious, so Zheng obviously fessed up. Shanghai Daily quoted Zheng as saying: “I wanted to buy an iPad 2 but could not afford it. A broker contacted me on the Internet and said he could help me sell one kidney for 20,000 yuan.”