Kidney kingpin held in Nepal, to be tried for foreign exchange cri

Kathmandu, Feb 8 (UNI) Nepal police will lodge three cases against kidney scam kingpin Amit Kumar, who was arrested last evening from a hotel in Chitwan district along with close aide Manish Singh and in possession of large amount of foreign currency.

The cases will be filed on Sunday after interrogating Dr Amit Kumar and carrying out necessary procedures for the charges relating to human organ transplant and the Interpol red-corner notice against him, chief of Metropolitan Police Crime Division SSP Upendra Kant Aryal told newspersons at Ranipokhari.

He will be charged for possesing more than permissible amount of foreign currency and may be handed over to the Indian police later, Mr Aryal said. The SSP added that Dr Kumar has admitted to having done around 300 kidney transplants in India.

Rs 9,36,000 in Indian currency, 1,45,000 euros and 18,900 US dollars were seized from the Indian doctor's possession.

Dr Kumar claimed he was not guilty and had come to Nepal with the aim of establishing a hotel. He was being kept at Hanumandhoka police station, The Himalayan Times reported.

Ramesh Thapa, Bishnu Khatri, Giri dai, Heera Pun, Baburam, Sher Bahadur and Pankaj Jha-- all Nepalese-- have also been arrested for having alleged links to the kidney racket kingpin.

Dr Amit had been staying in different luxurious hotels in Nepal ever since his arrival here on on January 26, the police said.

According to police Kumar stayed at Hotel Radisson in Lazimpat till January 29. He then stayed in hotels in Thamel till February 5 and left for Chitwan by taxi, from where he was eventually caught last evening.

The Indian doctor confessed that he was looking for sites to establish hospitals in Nepal through an agent Pankaj Jha, who is now absconding.

Dr Kumar was nabbed at 1700 hrs yesterday from a Sauraha-based hotel in Chitwan district, about 60 km from the Indian border town of Raxaul.

Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi that even though the extradition treaty between India and Nepal has not been renewed, there should not be any problem in getting the kingpin extradited.

''We are pursuing the case in close proximity with Interpol Nepal and the Indian embassy there to verify Amit's identity and seek cooperation in getting him here,'' CBI chief Vijay Shankar told newspersons in the Indian capital.

UNI XC YA DS1645