2nd Doctor arrested in Delhi Kidney transplant Racket, this time a Delhi based Surgeon

New Delhi: While probing the illegal kidney racket case, another suspect has been arrested by the Delhi police. The accused has been identified as 34-year-old Dr Priyansh Sharma alias Sameer.

Sameer is the second doctor arrested in connection with the case. He is a Delhi based surgeon and associated with one of a reputed hospital here. While investigating the case, police found Sameer's relation with the main accused identified as Kuldeep Ray Vishwakarma. Kuldeep had 20 years of experience as an OT technician. Ray was paid Rs 1 lakh per transplant.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported on this case that the Delhi Police busted a kidney racket in South Delhi and arrested 10 persons from various parts of the city. A piece of secret information has been received at Hauz Khas Police Station regarding an illegal kidney transplantation racket operating in the area of Hauz Khas. They targeted the poor and needy persons and induced them to give (sell) their kidneys. They further sold it to the persons who are in need of kidneys at a very high price.

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Deputy commissioner of police (south) Benita Mary Jaiker told HT, "He studied MBBS at Shri Ram Murti Smarak Institute of Medical Sciences in Bareilly from 2007 to 2013 and Masters of Science (MS) from Saifai Etawah in Uttar Pradesh from 2015 to 2018. He was working as a surgeon at a reputed hospital in Delhi."

The investigation also revealed the accused involvement with the Rajasthan gang. Jaiker told TOI, "The Rajasthan gang used to pay Ray Rs 50,000-1 lakh for surgery while other specialist surgeons got a lot more money. Ray took a much longer time during the procedure than other doctors. This and the money led to the dispute. The gang only summoned Ray when the recipient had to pay Rs 10-20 lakh for the transplantation. In cases where the recipient was paying Rs 50-80 lakh, the gang used to call other surgeons."

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The police believe that Ray is the head controlling the syndicate and performed the transplants. Investigation revealed that 20 kidneys have been transplanted so far.

According to police sources, each member of this syndicate — which had been in operation for six months now — had a designated task.

The Print sources inform that "Ray considers himself to be Phunsukh Wangdu of the movie 3 Idiots and believes that he was doing a good job. He says that even if he closes his eyes (while performing the transplant), the patient will be fine. Once potential donors were tested and found eligible, they were taken to a makeshift hospital at Gohana in Haryana's Sonepat for the transplant and later shifted to a flat in Delhi's Paschim Vihar for post-op treatment."

Two more accused have also been arrested by the police on Wednesday identified as 37-year-old Dr Sourabh Mittal and 27-year-old Sunny Rohilla, the owner of the set-up in Gohana where the operations took place, operation theatre technicians, and middlemen and agents.

"There is also a possibility that the gang had a Pan-India connection," said Jaiker. "The main accused, Vishwakarma, has told the police that he had assisted in another racket operating in Rajasthan some two years back. Soon after, he gathered this gang and they have conducted over 14 such kidney transplants, earning Rs 25-20 lakh per surgery."

Delhi Police believe that the group performed at least two organ transplants each month at the Gohana home of accused Sonu Rohilla (37), which had been converted into a makeshift hospital.

Rohilla, who has studied only till Class 10, has a Panchakarma diploma that qualifies him to be an Ayurveda therapist, sources in Delhi Police said.

Further investigation into the case is underway.