The Hindu : Kidney sale racket busted, 13 held

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 20, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Kidney sale racket busted, 13 held

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD JUNE 19. A racket involving trade in human kidneys was busted by the city police with the arrest of six brokers and seven prospective donors here on Thursday. The involvement of some corporate hospitals, Government officials and doctors is being verified by the police.

The North Zone Task Force team, which busted the racket also registered 51 cases in this regard against the brokers, donors and five hospitals in the city. Fake rubber stamps of various Government departments, a computer system and a motor cycle were also seized by the officials. ``This is just the beginning, the tip of an iceberg,'' the Additional Police Commissioner, A.K. Khan, told a press conference. Interestingly, the brokers who have been arranging the sale of kidneys are themselves past commercial donors. The modus operandi was to go around corporate hospitals in search of patients undergoing dialysis. They establish contact with patients or their attendants and after ascertaining the blood group, search for donors.

Once a meeting is arranged between the patient and the donor the price is fixed, which generally varies from Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 1 lakh. The broker's commission, which is included, ranges from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 50,000, depending on the type of service rendered, the Additional Commissioner said.

The arrested were Athukuri Vasu (31), S. Narasimha Rao (34), Mettu Raju (35), T. Pitchaiah (35), K. Srinivas (40) and Ippa Jayaram Reddy (28). The seven donors taken into custody were G. Venu (22), Chekka Raghu (21), K. Ramana (30), P.V.S. Ramaraju (33), K. Ratnakar (38), B. Subbu (26) and B. Vasudevacharyulu (26).Mr. Khan said that a patient could get a kidney either from a blood relative or a distant relative or an unrelated person. Donation by a distant relative or an unrelated persons is allowed only when the Authorisation Committee formed under the A.P. Transplantation of Human Organs Act and Rules, 1995, is satisfied that the donor is giving his kidney out of genuine concern for the patient and not with a commercial motive.

Mr. Khan said the police had forwarded their findings to the Authorisation Committee for confirmation and in two days' time at least some names would surface, both of the hospitals and the doctors involved in the racket.

The arrested persons were handed over to the Chikkadpally police station in Central Zone. Cases had been registered on the accused under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471 197, 109 read with 34 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 18 and 19 of the Human Organ Transplantation Act, 1995. The offences predominantly include cheating and forgery.

The suspects include brokers and agents, donors, recipients, doctors, hospitals and officials of Government departments for issuing fake certificates.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

MCH mulls bus service to go with MMTS

IT initiatives to check power theft

Kidney sale racket busted, 13 held

CM's assurance on DA for Govt. staff

CSIR test

Fake currency racket busted

Gift of her life after four years of agony