Kanpur Kidney Racket: Absconding OT technician surrenders after two weeks on the run

Kanpur: In the latest update in the alleged kidney transplant racket in Kanpur, an absconding OT technician, who allegedly posed as a doctor, surrendered before the court on Thursday, police said.  

The additional chief judicial magistrate remanded the accused to 14-day judicial custody.

Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal told PTI that the accused appeared before the court to surrender and was taken into custody.

The accused, carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 on his arrest, had been on the run for over two weeks, evading arrest despite police searches across Noida, Ghaziabad, and parts of Uttarakhand.

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Despite the manhunt, he managed to avoid arrest and directly surrendered in court, Lal added.

Investigation suggests he played a key role in the illegal transplant network.

He is accused of carrying out critical surgical steps during illegal kidney transplants — including making incisions, extracting kidneys from donors, and assisting in implant procedures.

Police estimate that over 30 such illegal transplants may have been conducted in Kanpur with his active involvement, according to sources privy to the probe.

An official said the accused operated with a team, typically including another doctor and two assistants. After each procedure, the group would disperse to different cities, such as Lucknow, Meerut and Ghaziabad, to evade detection, reports PTI.

Meanwhile, Rajesh Kumar — one of the arrestees — has told investigators that at least five transplants were carried out since January this year, allegedly involving him, police said.

On March 30, police had busted a kidney transplant racket in Kanpur with the arrest of six persons, including five doctors.

The arrests followed raids conducted on March 30 at Med-Life Hospital, Ahuja Hospital, and Priya Hospital in the Kalyanpur area, by a joint team of police and health department officials led by Chief Medical Officer Haridutt Nemi.

Ahuja Hospital owners and medical practitioners were arrested for facilitating unlawful organ transplants, the commissioner said.

Police have also arrested the alleged masterminds of the operation and the ambulance driver who allegedly impersonated medical practitioners and acted as key links between doctors, donors and recipients.

OT technicians who were also part of the illegal transplant procedures were arrested. 

With the accused’s surrender, the total number of arrests in the case has risen to 11. 

The racket came to light when a donor, Ayush, an MBA student from Bihar, approached the police over a payment dispute, alleging he only received Rs 3.5 lakh out of the agreed amount of Rs 10 lakh for his kidney.

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