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Tsunami kidney scam to be probed Chennai, January 15 As a result, the Tamil Nadu government has ordered a high level investigation into the flourishing trade in human organs, particularly kidneys, brokered by racketeers who had been duping persons in the tsunami hit northern outskirts of this metropolis. The probe is being conducted by the Revenue Divisional Officer of Chennai, Ms. M.S. Sangeetha, who after a preliminary investigation has found that mainly poor and destitute women inhabiting the tsunami shelters were selling their kidneys for a paltry sum and at times were also deprived of it because of their ignorance. Most of these women belong to the fishing community and as many of the men folk are still to venture out to the seas they were left with no other option. Moreover, the men had spent the tsunami relief given by the government on liquor and gambled it away leaving the women to fend for the families. In her report to the Chennai District Collector, Sangeetha noted that despite the state government's largesse, women from fishing families are being forced due to penury to sell their kidneys. Poverty-stricken women admitted during the survey undertaken by Sangeetha that they had sold their kidneys out of poverty. Most of them had been promised Rs 1 lakh but ultimately received less than half the amount. However, till date no police complaint has been registered. Sangeetha reported, “We have found that this reprehensible practice is not an isolated incident in tsunami hit areas. We now know that such kidney sales are prevalent in many slums. But it must be admitted that prevalence of this evil is more in tsunami hit areas.” Non Government Organisation (NGOs) working amongst the tsunami victims have confirmed that there was a clear link between impoverished families and organ brokers. Since December 2004, when the killer tsunami struck, many fishermen have been refusing to venture into the sea and were eking out a meagre living in temporary shelters through other informal activities. Most of them had borrowed heavily and walked unsuspectingly into the debt trap despite restoration of their livelihoods. Many of the womenfolk in the fishermen community admitted that they had sold kidneys for major expenses like a daughter’s marriage or educational expenses of their children. “Poverty drove me to sell one of my kidneys. I wasn’t earning enough through the sale of fish. I sold my kidney for Rs 40,000 but now I regret it, as I feel uneasy and find it difficult to work. Sometimes I have breathing difficulty and feel weak,” said Thilakavathy, a 31-year old widowed mother of three residing at Ernavur in the northern outskirts. Enquiries revealed that women in the age group of 18 to 35 have fallen victims to this flourishing racket which has been going on for nearly two years. Twentysix-year-old Kala is the latest to sell her kidney from this area. She said her kidney was removed at a private hospital in Madurai just one week ago. What is puzzling is the fact that at least another 20 women are ready to do the same thing despite knowing that they will not be adequately paid and that the brokers are doing something patently illegal. Selvi (35) revealed that she sold her kidney to meet the expenses of her daughter’s marriage. Authorities are shy of revealing the nuts and bolts of the racket because they are yet to unearth the complete network first. Private hospitals and touts are making the job of the government difficult. According to a senior state government official, “More than 100 kidneys might have been traded in the last few years in the coastal areas of Chennai. While majority of them were post-tsunami some were before that. On an average, four to five persons are tapped in a month in the fishing community.
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