The kidney racket, which involved the staff of a leading nephrologist working for the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals here and three others, was unearthed on Friday in a very unusual way. The accused himself had walked into the Sarita Vihar police station with a complaint earlier this week, least expecting that this would blow the lid off the trade he and his accomplices had managed to keep under wraps.
A police officer said that on Monday, Devasish Mauli came to the police station and said that his wife, Maumita, had disappeared. He said he suspected her of leaving with Aseem, who like the couple, hails from West Bengal.
“What he did not tell us was that Maumita had donated a kidney, for which the couple was expecting Rs. 4 lakh. Maumita wanted a bigger share and when Devasish did not agree she left,” said the officer.
The police questioned Devasish about the purpose of his visit to Delhi. His reply spilled the beans, police said.
“He told us that she had some kidney-related ailment for which they had come to the city Capital and were staying at a Paharganj hotel. When we probed further, he did not reveal the nature of the ailment and we suspected something amiss. Perhaps as an afterthought, he refused to submit a written complaint and said he would come before leaving,” said the officer.
Cops on the trail
Thought the police let him go then, he left his phone number with them. A team was then deployed to keep an eye on him, while another tracked his call records. Also, information on calls made to the other co-accused was gathered.
With some local intelligence, the police learnt that there was another payment dispute between Aseem and Devasish, and the recipients and doctor’s staff.
Vigil was also tightened around Apollo Hospital, after which Aseem and Devasish were arrested.
Another crucial link was offered by Satya Prakash, who was the main supplier. Five of the four donors traced so far are from Kanpur, where Satya Prakash comes from.
Aseem, Devasish and Satya Prakash’s interrogation led to Aditya Singh and Shailesh Saxena, who were arrested after a raid was conducted at the hospital on Thursday night.
All five have been sent to seven days’ police custody. During interrogation, they purportedly revealed that after the blood groups of potential donors matched, they were brought to the Capital where Aseem arranged their stay in budget hotels and got tests done at private laboratories. When the test results were found positive, the process of transplant would start.
