Chinese Teenager Reportedly Sells Kidney for iPad 2

His mother was a bit alarmed when he returned home minus a kidney

Waiting overnight to get a new Apple product is a typical barometer of geeky devotion, but what about selling a body part to get one? News broke today that a teenager in China reportedly sold one of his kidneys for an iPad 2, after finding an online advertisment soliciting organs in exchange for cash.

"When I surfed the internet I found an advert posted online by agent saying they were able to pay RMB20,000 [yuan] to buy a kidney," the 17 year-old, identified as 'Zheng,' told Shenzhen TV according to the The Telegraph. 20,000 yuan is roughly $3,000 US.

On April 28th, the boy apparently traveled north to Chenzhou in Hunan Province where he had his kidney removed. This was news to his mother. "I wanted to know how he had got so much money and he finally confessed that he had sold one of his kidneys," she said. She called the police, who were unable to contact the broker.

The specifics of what specific Apple devices the boy exactly returned home with are somewhat unclear. It appears the story broke on Chinese television, and a screenshot of the kid's scar is included below. Shanghai Daily only mentions the iPad 2 story, while China's Global Times headlines their article "Teenager Sells Kidney for iPad 2," but reports that the boy "returned home with a laptop and an iPhone." The Telegraph also leads with the iPad 2 but quotes the mother as saying that "When he came back, he had a laptop and a new Apple handset." As TNW points out, after selling his kidney for over 20,000 yuan, the boy presumably had some money left over for other devices.