International Kidney Trafficking Racket: Solapur man posing as doctor arrested

Chandrapur: A fake doctor from Solapur has been arrested in connection with an international kidney trafficking racket that allegedly sent poor villagers from Maharashtra to Cambodia for illegal kidney removal.

The arrest was made by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the kidney racket. The team found that the accused took around 10-12 people to a hospital in Cambodia for the removal of kidneys and got a commission from racketeers.

Also read- Andhra Pradesh Kidney transplant racket: Govt medical officer among 6 arrested

The accused, Mallesh, who posed as Dr Krishna, was a jobless engineer, according to a TOI news report. According to the police, he was once a victim himself, who later turned into an agent for the kidney racket.

Following his arrest, the police produced him in court on Monday and remanded him in four-day police custody for further investigation.

The case came to light after a complaint by Roshan Kude, a farmer from Nagbhid tehsil in Chandrapur district, who alleged that he sold his kidney in Cambodia to repay a loan debt taken from local moneylenders.

According to the police, Kude had borrowed Rs 1 lakh from moneylenders. However, due to extremely high interest rates, the loan amount increased to Rs 74 lakh. Despite selling his belongings, he was unable to repay the debt.

Kude then allegedly decided to sell his kidney. Through a ‘Kidney Donor Community’ page, he came in contact with the accused, disguised as "Dr" Krishna, who allegedly acted as an agent in the racket. Following Krishna’s instructions, Kude travelled to Kolkata and then onward to Cambodia to sell his kidney.

Chandrapur Superintendent of Police Sudarshan Mummaka told PTI, "The investigation suggests that Krishna took around 10-12 persons to a hospital in Cambodia for removing their kidneys, and got a commission in return."

Considering the seriousness of the case, an SIT was constituted to conduct an in-depth investigation. Using SIM card data, the SIT traced Krishna’s location to Solapur and arrested him, the police officer added.

Further investigation revealed that "Dr Krishna" has a fake identity. Police also found that he had sold his own kidney in 2018 due to financial distress and later became an agent in the kidney racket. He allegedly earned a commission of Rs 1 lakh per victim.

The accused is currently being questioned to determine how many people he abetted in selling their kidneys.

Police have arrested five moneylenders so far, while one is absconding.

Also read- Unacceptable, Disappointing: Madras HC orders SIT probe in kidney transplant racket