Kidney trade racket busted, five arrested

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 3              

Five persons, including two employees of Apollo Hospital, have been arrested for allegedly running an illegal trade of human organs by luring people from across India to donate their kidneys in exchange for money, police said today.

The five accused have been identified as Aseem Sikdar (37), who hails from North 24 Pargana, West Bengal, Satya Prakash, alias Ashu (30), who hails from Kanpur, UP, Devashish Moulik (30), who hails from New Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, Aditya Singh (24) from Aali Vihar, Delhi and Shailesh Saxena, alias Sonu (31), who is a resident of Badarpur in Delhi. Aditya and Shailesh have been working as personal secretaries to Apollo Hospital doctors for the past three to four years, said the police.

On May 30, the police were tipped off that a gang is involved in the illegal trade of human organs. 

"It was revealed that the gang lured needy people from various parts of the country to donate their kidney in exchange of money. They also prepared forged papers, including the ID proofs, to establish the relationship between the donors and the recipients. It was also revealed that the staff of Apollo Hospital were also involved in the racket. The recipients were heavily charged for the same whereas a small amount out of it was paid to the donors," said Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East District).

The people falling prey to this crime came from various parts of the country, including West Bengal, Kanpur, Delhi and Chennai, the police said. The gang members have their local contacts in these parts of the country who bring them to Delhi and make them stay in a hotel to get their tests done and complete the paperwork prior to the procedure. 

The police investigation revealed that the gang has targeted two more people who will be brought to Delhi to get their tests conducted. 

The police learnt that members of the gang would come to Apollo Hospital on Thursday to hold a meeting with the donor and relatives of the patient and make negotiations. 

A raid was conducted at the place of information and three members of the gang, Aseem, Satya and Devashish were apprehended, police said. Some fake Voter ID cards and Adhaar Cards with photographs were recovered from them.  

A case under the Indian Penal Code sections of cheating and forgery and sections of the Transplant of Human Organ Act (THOA) has been registered at the Sarita Vihar police station in south-east Delhi. 

During the interrogation of the accused the police learnt that the middle man convinced the donor to donate kidney for a good sum of money around Rs.3-4 lakhs.