TDS Desk:

Delhi Police arrested a 50-year-old doctor last week from Delhi-based Indraprastha Apollo Hospital for her alleged involvement in kidney transplant racket across Bangladesh and India, according to a report published by The Indian Express.

The newspaper also reports that three Bangladeshis were arrested last month in the same case. Documents in the name of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi were also allegedly forged as part of the racket to prove there was a a relationship between donor and recipient (both Bangladeshi), as required by Indian law for organ transplants.

Dr Vijaya Kumari, now under suspension, was the lone doctor working with the gang and had performed around 15-16 transplants from 2021-23 in Noida-based private Yatharth Hospital. Kumari, a senior consultant and a kidney transplant surgeon, joined Apollo Hospital as a junior doctor 15 years ago.

In the alleged racket, records show, patients from Bangladesh were lured by a network of middlemen, Kumari, and their associates for organ transplantation in major hospitals in the Indian capital.

The Bangladeshis involved in the racket were identified as Rasel, 29, along with associates Md Sumon Mia.

Together with Tripura-based Ratish Pal, they lured potential donors from Bangladesh to Delhi where the donors would receive Rs 4-5 lakh for their kidneys. Recipients were charged Rs 25-30 lakh, a source told The Indian Express. Except Ifti, all other accused were arrested.

Donors and recipients coordinated their stay, treatment, and tests through a medical tourism company named Al Shifa, sources said.

The police are now investigating an organized crime syndicate. During the probe, one Vikram, working as an assistant to Kumari, was also arrested.

Records show Rasel had rented a flat in Jasola village where five to six donors were staying at the rented flat. All the tests before the transplant were completed. The recipients would also meet the donors at the flat, the source said.

Sources said that Rasel, from Kushtia district in Bangladesh, identified his associates as Dhaka-based Mian (28) and Rokon (26), both of whom were inside the flat during the questioning.

During the arrests, sources said a bag recovered from Rasel’s room contained nine passports, two diaries, and a register. These passports belonged to kidney donors and recipients and the diary reportedly had details of monetary transactions between the donor and recipient.

The police also said to have seized another bag from Md Rokon, which contained 20 stamps of different impressions and two stamp ink pads (blue and red), allegedly used to create the fake papers.