Blowing the lid off a kidney racket that operated from various private hospitals in Kochi, the city police have arrested a 50-year-old man who is an alleged kidney dealer.
The arrested has been identified as Shaji, a native of Kumbalangi. Acting on a complaint by Dileep, a native of Panangad, the police arrested the accused from his hometown the other day.
According to the police, Dileep approached the police after Shaji allegedly threatened him for backing out of an agreement to donate his kidney. As per the complaint, Shaji had offered ₹6 lakh to Dileep in lieu of donating the organ.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the racket had presence in some of the major private hospitals in the city but whether they are linked to the hospital managements or not is yet to be ascertained.
They, however, linked up a few hospital employees, who helped them in identifying patients in need of organs,” said Rejin M. Thomas, Station House Officer, Panangad.
Though they used to offer ₹6 lakh to the donor, they charged up to ₹10 lakh from the recipient.
The incident took place in December last year when Dileep was approached by the kidney racket, seeking his interest in donating the organ for a 12-year-old boy who was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi. The complainant had initially agreed to donate the organ and received an advance of ₹15,000 but had withdrawn later.
A follow-up probe is on to trace the person who had approached Dileep on behalf of the racket and a woman employee of a major private hospital in the city. Shaji was booked under provisions of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, and charges of criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation.
He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in custody.
