Kidney racket accused to be lodged in separate cell

Mumbai, Jun 27 (UNI) A local court today directed the Arthur Road Jail Superintendent to lodge Dr Amit Kumar alias Santosh Raut, main accused in the nationwide kidney racket scam, and his brother Jeevan Kumar in a separate cell as they were allegedly facing threats from the underworld.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate G R Wankhede today passed an order after receiving a report from Jail authorities that the two can be lodged in the ''Anda'' cell.

The report was submitted in response to an application made by the accused yesterday praying that they be kept in a separate cell in the jail as they were facing threats from the underworld.

Advocate Ratnakar Singh, who moved an application on behalf of the accused, had contended that in 2005 his clients had received threats from the underworld and in this regard a written complaint had been made to the crime branch.

Both the accused were remanded to judicial custody yesterday by the court to enable police to hold an identification parade of the accused in jail.

Inspector A Gawade of Mahim police station, who is investigating the matter, informed that the police had traced a victim of the kidney racket, Ramji Srinivas Rao, of Andhra Pradesh. Rao has been summoned to remain present for the identification parade.

Dr Amit and Dr Jeevan have been brought to Mumbai in connection with the illegal removal of kidneys from two road-side food vendors in Mahim. While one of the victims has not been traced, Rao has been found in Andhra Pradesh.

The identification parade will be held within the next few days. Rao will be taken to some hospitals in and around Delhi, including Gurgaon, where his kidney was allegedly removed. This is necessary to corroborate the claim of the victim, who has alleged that Dr Amit had performed the ''illegal operation'' on him, Mr Gawade said.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai police also claimed to have obtained telephonic records of a series of calls between Dr Amit, his brother Jeevan and three other co-accused, who were arrested earlier.

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