Police bust kidney racket, arrest three including king pin

Bangalore, Aug 13 (UNI) Police are investigating into a possible nexus between corporate hospitals and a gang involved in organ trade racket unearthed in the city.

Police said three people have been arrested in connection with the racket that was thriving for more than three years as the gang meners, lured poor villagers to donate one of their kidneys and prepared fake documents to deceive Authoritarian Committee that screens organ donation. The arrested included kingpin of the racket Mahadeva of Ramanagaram, and Mohan and Ravi of Nelamangala in Bangalore Rural district. It is learnt that they had roped in more than 30 such 'donors' by paying them Rs 50,000 to Rs one lakh and managed to get Rs three to four lakhs from the recipients.

Police suspect involvement of some top doctors in corporate hospitals in the city and are investigating into the angle of their complicity in the racket.

Nelamangala police saved five people from becoming victims following a complaint by a person who came to know about the organ trade.

The racket came to light when one youth identified as Narasimha of Mallasandra contacted Mahadeva for money whom he thought was a money lender. When he came to know of the racket, he escaped from the spot and filed a complaint with the police.

The modus operandi of Mahadeva was to get the transaction done through Authoritarian Committee, the body set up under the Human Organ Transplantation Act (1994) by creating documents by providing fake addresses and relationships of the people. He used to create ration cards, address proof certificate and brief people of houses referred to the Committee.

Muniraju, a advocate in ACMM court used to organise fake witnesses to authenticate the 'relationship' between the donor and the receiver. He also used to prepare the family tree and other documents. Three persons, hired by the racketeers, would authenticate the documents before a magistrate and then the documents were placed before the Committee to get permission to 'donate' kidney. Thereafter a police verification will be made and just before that Mahadeva would shift the donors to the house and brief the house owner what to tell the cops.

Mahadeva had allegedly roped in more then 30 donors so far. his accomplice Ravi was himself a organ donor. The kingpin who had three wives had also forced them to part with one of their kidneys, police said.

The kidney recipient would also be doctored on what need to be said before the authorisation committee by the group of racketeers.

UNI