Ten people, including a doctor, were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly operating a kidney racket. They used to sell kidneys of homeless people illegally, the police said.
DCP (South) Benita Mary Jaiker said that on May 26, they received a tip-off at the Hauz Khas police station regarding a kidney transplantation racket operating in Hauz Khas which used to particularly target homeless persons and induced them with money for selling their kidneys. “They further sold the kidney to persons who were in need of it, at a very high price,” the DCP said.
A victim was tracked down and it was allegedly revealed that the person would be taken to Hauz Khas to a lab for pre anaesthesia check-up by the accused.
“A trap was laid near the private lab in Hauz Khas area and a person called Pintu Kumar Yadav was located, who informed that he was taken to the lab by one Sarvjeet and Vipin on the pretext of treatment of abdomen pain. However, when he realised that they had brought him there for kidney donation, he had an argument with them and went away from the place,” the DCP said.
On the behest of Yadav, the police managed to narrow down on two other victims, whose kidneys had already been taken out by the accused. The police further managed to trace two other victims whose medical tests were conducted and were about to be taken for the transplant.
The DCP said that one of the accused used to target homeless people and pay them anywhere between ₹30,000 to ₹40,000. The 10 accused people, which included two OT technicians and a doctor working at a hospital in Delhi, have carried out over 20 illegal transplants so far. They performed the transplant in a clinic of one of the accused, located in Sonipat. “They used to form social media pages and groups and contacted the victims through Facebook,” the DCP said.
