New Delhi, June 2 (Bureau) Around 10 people were arrested for their alleged involvement in an illegal kidney transplantation racket run from Hauz Khas area, police said on Wednesday. According to police, it received secret information at Hauz Khas Police Station on May 26, regarding an illegal kidney transplantation racket targeting the poor and needy persons and induced them to give (sell) their kidney. They further sold it to the persons who were in need of a kidney at a very high price, said Benita Mary Jaiker, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South District. Following the information, one person was located and it was also revealed that such person would be taken to a lab for Pre-Anesthesia Check-up (Medical Tests) by the racket members. On this information, a trap was laid near the private lab in Hauz Khas area where one person, identified as Pintu Kumar Yadav, was located who informed that he was taken at the lab by two persons, Sarvjeet Jailwal and Vipin, on the pretext of treatment of his abdomen pain but when he realized that they took him there for kidney donation, he had arguments with them and they ran away from there, Jaiker added. Accordingly, a case under section 419/420/468/471/120B/34 IPC &18/19/20 Transplantation of Human Organs Act was registered and a probe of the same was taken up. On the instance of Pintu Kumar Yadav, the police reached Sarvjeet and Raghu Sharma.
On enquiry, it was revealed that Raghu Sharma’s kidney had already been taken by the Sarvjeet and other gang members, claimed Jaiker. After that, on the instance of Sharma, the team raided A Block, DDA Flats, Paschim Vihar of Delhi where four persons including one Shailesh Patel with three other persons, Diwarkar Sarkar, Ashwini Pandey and Rizwan, were found. During investigation, it was found that these three persons were taken at that place for allegedly in an illegal kidney transplantation and some medical documents were also recovered from there, claimed Jaiker. All pre medical tests of three persons were already conducted by the gang members till that time and they were about to take them for illegally transplanting their kidneys, said police. On enquiry, it was revealed that Shailesh Patel used to identify soft targets who were needy persons for the sake of their kidney. During further investigation, both Sarvjeet and Shailesh were interrogated at length and on the basis of sufficient evidence on record they were arrested in the case. On interrogation, both the accused revealed that they used to target needy and poor persons for their kidneys and brought them to another accused, Vikas alias Bikas, and a doctor who gave them Rs 30-40 thousand for this and further sold the kidneys to rich persons at a high price, said Jaiker. The accused disclosed the names of testing centers, places/hospitals/centers where kidneys used to be transplanted and their other associates who used to visit the persons after illegal transplantation and payment of money to them. After that, one more accused, Md. Latif, who worked as a field boy in the Lab in Hauz Khas, was also arrested who used to take the kidney donors/sellers to diagnostic centers for their required test that too without any prescription and other Centre for DTPA test which is a most important test to know about the working of kidney, said Jaiker.
It was also revealed that accused Bikas allegedly provided accommodation to all the donors/sellers at Paschim Vihar and further sent them to Sonu through Ranjeet Gupta at Guhana, Sonipat for alleged illegal transplantation of kidney. The team along with FSL’s advance team conducted a raid at a hospital where a set-up was formed by the accused for alleged illegal transplantation in Haryana’s Gohana where a Quack was found who with the help of doctors, technicians from different other hospitals used to perform alleged illegal transplantation of kidney. The FSL team inspected the hospital and the accused was also arrested in the case. After that, a doctor was arrested in the case who is an anesthesiologist and worked in a reputed hospital in Delhi and gave his services in illegal transplantation with other accused persons, claimed Jaiker. Further, three more accused, Kuldeep Ray Vishvakarama, Om Prakash Sharma and Manoj Tiwari, were arrested in the case and they all are OT Technicians in one of the renowned hospitals in Delhi, claimed DCP. During interrogation, it was revealed that Kuldeep Ray Vishwakarma was the main mastermind of the gang who convinced other persons for these illegal transplants and also selected the Clinic for execution of operations. He was the one who paid all the accused persons according to their roles and they had done 12-14 illegal transplants during the last 6-7 months at Guhana, Sonipat. During the course of investigation it was also revealed that they used to target young boys from the age group of 20 to 30 years who were in desperate need of money and then through their regular counseling convinced them to sell their kidney. They have transplanted over 20 kidneys so far, said DCP.