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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Andrew Griffin

iPhone 6s: Chinese men try to sell kidney to buy new handset

A Chinese man and woman use their smartphones on November 20, 2014 in Beijing, China (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Two men have attempted to sell their kidneys so that they could buy a new iPhone 6s, according to reports.

The men contacted an agent to sell them illegally and then set up a meeting, but the man didn’t turn up, according to the state-run China Daily newspaper. Since then, one of the two men has gone missing, it reported citing local newspaper Modern Express.

One of the two men, named Wu, was looking to buy the brand new handset, but didn’t have the money. A friend, Huang, suggested that the two of them sell a kidney to raise funds — a common practice in a country where organ donation is low and has led to a flourishing market.

The two got in touch with a salesman over the internet who told them to undergo medical tests at a hospital in Nanjing. But when they turned up on September 12, the man couldn’t be found.

The new iPhone 6s - in pictures  

After that Wu, who had originally suggested the plan, reconsidered. But Huang wanted to continue with the plan.

Wu called the police in an attempt to stop the sale. But Huang ran away and hasn’t been seen since, according to the local reports.

iPhones have proved tremendously popular in China in recent years, driving a growth in sales that have made the recent handsets by far the best-selling. Apple is looking to increase its reach in China yet further, and boss Tim Cook has admitted that new innovations such as a new gold phone were brought with a focus on that market.

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