Seven people, including a 50-year-old doctor from Delhi-based Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals and three Bangladeshi nationals were arrested by the Delhi police in the past week for operating a kidney racket in India and Bangladesh.
Quoting the police, the Indian Express on Tuesday said that Vijaya Kumari, now under suspension, was the lone doctor working with the gang and had performed 16 transplants from 2021-23 at Noida-based private Yatharth Hospital.
In the alleged racket, records show that patients from Bangladesh were lured by a network of brokers, Kumari, and their associates for organ transplantation at major hospitals in the national capital region.
Fake documents in the name of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, were allegedly prepared to claim there was a relationship between the donor and recipient (both Bangladeshi) 鈥� a requisite as per the Indian law.
Kumari, a senior consultant and a kidney transplant surgeon joined Apollo Hospitals as a junior doctor almost 15 years ago.
Delhi deputy police commissioner Amit Goel said that the arrested doctor facilitated nearly 16 transplants at a hospital in Noida, reports India Today.
The police also said that some patients were brought to India under the pretext of offering jobs, and then their kidneys were removed.
Sunil Baliyan, additional medical superintendent of Yatharth Hospital, said that Kumari was working with the hospital as a visiting consultant and performed transplants on patients brought by her.
鈥楴o patient of Yatharth was given to her and she had performed one surgery in the past three months,鈥� he said.
鈥楪iven this action by the police, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals placed the doctor under suspension. The IAH was previously approached by the Crime Branch seeking certain information as part of an investigation, which was duly provided,鈥� an IAH spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added, 鈥楾his action is subsequent to an investigation pertaining to procedures carried out at another hospital and not related to any action or acts at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.鈥�
In the present case, one Rasel, 29, along with associates Mohammed Sumon Miyan, Ifti, all based in Bangladesh, and Tripura-based Ratish Pal, lured potential donors from their country to Delhi, Delhi police said, adding that they would donate their kidneys for 4 to 5 lakh rupees and recipients were charged to the tune of 25 to 30 lakh rupees.
Except for Ifti, all the other accused have been arrested, the police also said.
鈥榃e received information after a kidney racket was busted in Rajasthan and police started working about three months ago. All the accused are first-timers, and they are giving 2 to 3 lakh rupees to the doctor for every transplant,鈥� the police said.
In the present case, donors and recipients coordinated their stay, treatment, and tests through a medical tourism company named Al Shifa, the police said, adding that the statement of a victim has been recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which is admissible evidence in court.
The police said that the victim鈥檚 medical records from Yatharth Hospital had been seized, showing forged documents from the Bangladesh High Commission. 鈥楾hese documents show that it was misused to complete the medical file linked to the transplantation record of the victim,鈥� the police said.
The police also said that they were now investigating an organised crime syndicate.
During the probe, Vikram, working as an assistant to Kumari, has also been arrested in the case, the police added.
Police also said that they seized another bag from Md Rokon, which contained 20 stamps of different impressions and two stamp ink pads.
Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi鈥檚 press minister Shaban Mahmood could not be reached for comment over the phone.
He did not even reply to the text message.
Human organ smuggling from Bangladesh to India is an old issue as the Bangladesh police several times busted rackets but could not stop smuggling.
In May 2023, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested 10 people following a case filed by a victim Robin with the Dhanmondi police station.
The police said that the racket lured him for a lucrative job in Delhi and then forced him to sale his kidney.
DMP additional commissioner Khandkar Muhid Uddin said that they were verifying the information given by the arrested.
鈥業t is a transnational crime. So it is taking more time. We hope to arrest the rest of the racket in both countries,鈥� he said.
In January 2022, the Chattogram police arrested three people of a racket of organ smuggling to India.
In June 2021, a team of the Border Guard Bangladesh in Benapole arrested an organ smuggler on no-man鈥檚-land while the victim, Yunus Ali, a garment worker, who was being taken to India shouted for help, the official said.
In 2016, the Kolkata police also arrested a ring leader, T Rajkumar Rao, a resident of Andhra Pradesh at Rajhat.
