South East District Police have claimed to have busted a kidney trade racket with the arrest of six persons, including the personal staff of doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital here.
Apollo Hospital has distanced itself from the racket and said they ensured full cooperation with the police. They said in a statement that they were a “victim of a well-orchestrated operation to cheat patients and the hospital”.
According to the police, the members of the network first sought details of the patients requiring kidneys and then lured poor donors based outside Delhi with the help of middlemen. The arrests were made around 9 p.m. on Thursday at Apollo Hospital in southeast Delhi. The police were tipped off about their presence, a senior officer said.
The accused include three middlemen, who are believed to have sold at least four kidneys so far in Delhi, and three potential donors, including two women, who were picked from a village in north India, the official said.
A case regarding the matter has been registered at Sarita Vihar Police Station and the accused are being interrogated.
Full text of Apollo Hospital's statement
“ The police approached us yesterday afternoon for their investigation in the matter pertaining to an alleged kidney sale racket. We are co-operating and providing to them all information required to help them in their investigation. This matter is of grave concern and our teams are extending all support to the Police.
The hospital, in order to ensure compliance with the law and diligence in process has an independent body with external members also for according consent for any transplant surgery. This Committee goes through all documents necessary to ensure that requirements under the Act are complied with. Further, the hospital has ensured that all due process as per the law has been followed.
The police in their investigation has identified secretarial staff of some doctors, who are not employees of the hospital, who have been involved in the alleged racket. While all due precautions were conducted, the use of fake and forged documents was used for this racket with a criminal intent. The hospital has been a victim of a well-orchestrated operation to cheat patients and the hospital. We urge the police to take the strictest of action against all those involved.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals has always abided by the law with utmost care and diligence and shall continue to do so.”
