Sessions court grants bail to kidney racketeer doctor

Mumbai, Jan 15 (UNI) A Sessions Court here today granted bail to alleged mastermind behind a nationwide kidney transplant racket, Dr Palani Ravichandran, for Rs one lakh and surety of like amount.

The racket was allegedly run from Chennai by Dr Ravichandran.

The nephrologist had allegedly lured poor people from across India and at least three other countries to donate their kidneys on the promise of large sums of money. Dr Ravichandran was arrested in Chennai on October 10 last year and brought to Mumbai.

Dr Ravichandran had agents allegedly working for him in Mumbai, Gujarat, MP, Rajasthan, Delhi and other places in the country and also in neighbouring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, according to police.

They (the agents) allegedly lured poor, uneducated people to sell their kidneys for around Rs three to four lakhs. However, once the kidneys were surgically removed, the accused would pay the donors only Rs 25,000 to Rs 60,000. They had sold kidneys of almost 100 people from Mumbai itself last year, police officials had claimed.

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