The police arrested six persons, including three women brokers, for attempting to sell kidneys at a private hospital in Aminjikarai on Saturday.
The brokers tried to sell the kidneys of two women, who pretended to be close relatives of two patients at the hospital.
But the authorisation committee constituted under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act saw through the ploy and lodged a complaint with the Kilpauk police.
According to the police, Jayamani from Erode and Chandra from Kolathur were admitted to the hospital with kidney problems. Jayamani and her husband Bhoopathy were approached by brokers, Sophia and Devi, who introduced them to a potential donor, Devi, and her husband Mani.
Another broker, Girija, introduced Chandra to donor prospect, Saraswathy, and her husband Jeyakumar.
After the hospital authorities were informed of the donors, the authorisation committee was alerted and the donors and recipients were asked to appear for an interview on Friday.
During the interview, officials found the claims of the donor prospects to be false. “They knew nothing about the recipients and their families and did not have proper documents either,” said Charles Samraj, law and order inspector at Kilpauk police station.
Members of the authorisation committee then lodged a complaint following which brokers Sophia, Devi and Girija, donor prospects Devi and Saraswathy, and the latter’s husband Jeyakumar, were arrested. Devi’s husband Mani absconded.
“It is illegal to sell or buy human organs. They can only be donated. We have booked the arrested under section 420 (cheating) and sections related to forgery. We may also charge them under section 19 of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, after consulting with the government,” said the inspector.
The police said Sophia, Devi and Girija had sold their kidneys before turning brokers.
“They kept scouting for potential customers at the hospital,” he said.
