The Novosibirsk regional branch of the Investigative Committee is looking into a reported attempt to harvest the organs of two Russian children in Kyrgyzstan, it said Wednesday in an online statement.
The committee said its attention had been drawn to the case by a news report detailing how a 13-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother had been tortured by their mother's companion.
After their mother died in September last year, the children were reportedly sold to members of the Roma community to have their organs harvested, the statement said.
The children, both of whom are Russian citizens, managed to escape and were brought to Novosibirsk by а Russian diplomat, the report said.
The committee's statement did not specify which specific news report had drawn their attention, but the children’s story was covered by several local news website as well as the TASS news agency.
Following their return to Russia, they were taken to a children's hospital, where they are undergoing psychological treatment, the local news website Nsknews.ru reported.
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