Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
What began as a Rs 50,000 payment dispute has blown open a suspected multi-crore illegal kidney transplant racket in Kanpur, exposing a network that allegedly used multiple hospitals, targeted vulnerable youth and sold organs for as high as 90 lakh.
The case centres around a private hospital in Rawatpur, where transplants are suspected to have been carried out in violation of norms. Police launched a probe on Monday after a donor approached them over unpaid dues, leading to the detention of four to five people, including a hospital operator and an alleged middleman.
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The donor claimed he was promised Rs 10 lakh but was paid Rs 50,000 less and faced repeated delays in receiving the remaining amount.
Frustrated, he went to the police, setting off an investigation that began uncovering layers of an organised network.
DONOR LURED, KIDNEY SOLD AT MASSIVE PROFIT
Investigators found that Shivam Agarwal, a resident of Kalyanpur, allegedly lured a young man from Uttarakhand with the promise of Rs 10 lakh, telling him the kidney was needed for a relative.
Facing financial distress, he agreed.
The surgery was carried out at a private hospital in Rawatpur, where his kidney was removed. It was then allegedly sold to the family of a 35-year-old woman from Muzaffarnagar for over Rs 90 lakh.
The donor, however, received only Rs 6 lakh in cash and Rs 3.5 lakh via cheque.
THREE-HOSPITAL MODEL TO AVOID DETECTION
The operation did not end there. After surgery, both donor and recipient were kept at the same hospital for about a day before being shifted to separate facilities.
Investigators say the network used a three-hospital system, one for extraction, another for post-operative care of the donor and a third for the recipient, ensuring no single facility had complete information.
Sources said the donor, who identified himself as ‘Ayush’, was later admitted to another hospital under a different identity, while the recipient was moved elsewhere.
STUDENTS, VULNERABLE YOUTH TARGETED
The probe has revealed a pattern of targeting financially vulnerable people, including students.
The donor ‘Ayush’ claimed to be an MBA student and had initially agreed to donate his kidney for Rs 4 lakh. In another suspected case, a female student was allegedly made to donate a kidney for around Rs 4 lakh, which may have later been sold for Rs 45 to Rs 50 lakh.
Donors were often misled with emotional claims and false assurances before being drawn into the network.
BROKERS, DOCTORS AND HOSPITAL NEXUS
Police believe the racket involved a coordinated network of middlemen, hospital operators and medical professionals.
Brokers arranged donors, hospitals facilitated surgeries and doctors are suspected to have played a role in conducting transplants, pointing to a structured operation rather than isolated wrongdoing.
Shivam Agarwal and hospital operator Surjeet Singh Ahuja were among the first to be detained.
RAIDS ACROSS HOSPITALS, MORE DETENTIONS
Joint teams of police and the health department carried out raids at multiple locations, including Priya Hospital and Trauma Centre, Ahuja Hospital and Medlife Hospital.
Records related to transplant procedures and patients are now under scrutiny.
Late-night action by the crime branch led to the detention of a doctor couple and several others. Police also reached another hospital where the recipient had been shifted and took five more people in for questioning.
INTERSTATE NETWORK UNDER PROBE
During questioning, the donor initially claimed he was from Meerut but later said he was from Samastipur in Bihar and had been living in Meerut, where he met the middleman.
Investigators now believe the network spans multiple states, sourcing donors from different regions while connecting them to recipients elsewhere.
MORE REVELATIONS LIKELY
Officials suspect the case may be part of a much larger illegal organ trade involving huge financial transactions.
While police and the health department have not spoken on record, indications are that the network could be far wider, with more arrests and disclosures expected in the coming days.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
