Gurgaon kidney scam prime accused may be in Canada

Ottawa (Canada), Jan.30 : Dr. Amit Kumar, the absconding prime accused in the illegal kidney transplant racket that came to light last week in Gurgaon, Haryana, may be hiding somewhere in Canada, a Toronto-based newspaper has claimed in its report.

According to the Toronto Star, Dr. Kumar has family based in Canada, and could have sought shelter with them, as soon as he was informed of an impending raid on his kidney racket by police in Gurgaon.

The paper further goes on to say that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) at present has very limited knowledge or information about Dr. Kumar's whereabouts, and is using the help of Interpol in an attempt to track him down.

"Based on the limited information available at this time, we can not confirm any outstanding notices on this individual from the National Central Bureau in New Delhi. We can, however, say that Interpol Ottawa has been in communication with Interpol New Delhi about this case," the paper quoted RCMP's Sylvie Tremblay, as saying.

The kidney transplant racket, centred in Gurgaon, at times used luxury cars outfitted with blood-testing machines to test donors as well as sophisticated surgical equipment hidden inside the DLF-Phase-One neighbourhood.

Police in Gurgaon said that the kidneys of up to 500 poor labourers were removed and sold to wealthy patients. It is unclear if the poor people actually sold the organs or whether doctors allegedly involved in the organ transplant racket duped them.

An Indian daily has quoted Superintendent of Police Manjul Saini as saying that police are certain Kumar's family "is based in Canada and he visited them a fortnight ago."

The report goes on to say that police have recovered e-mails from Kumar's Gurgaon's premises in which patients from Canada have inquired about the details of the operation.

Saini is quoted as saying: "Dealing with foreign clients from Canada would have helped him (Kumar) avoid suspicion."

Gurgaon Police Commissioner Mohinder Lal said earlier this week that the primary suspects, including Kumar, were believed to have fled the country.

ANI