International kidney transplant racket busted, doctor among 7 held

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, July 9

The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police arrested seven persons, including a 50-year-old Delhi-based woman doctor, in connection with an alleged international kidney transplant racket operating in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Modus operandi

• They targeted the kidney patients hailing from Bangladesh by visiting the dialysis centres in that country.
• They would arrange donors from Bangladesh, taking benefit of their poor financial background and exploited them on the pretext of providing them job in India
• The accused would confiscate the donors’ passports after reaching India.
• The accused used to charge Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh per transplant

The police had been working on the case for two months. A majority of the donors and recipients are from Bangladesh brought to India on the basis of fake documents for the surgeries, officials said.

The woman doctor, identified as D Vijaya Rajakumari, working as a kidney transplant surgeon on a “fee-for-service basis” in a Delhi hospital, was allegedly involved in the transplant surgeries of around 15 people from Bangladesh between 2021 and 2023, they said.

Dr Rajakumari allegedly conducted the surgeries in a Noida-based hospital where she was a visiting consultant.

The bust also resulted in the recovery of substantial incriminating material, including 23 fake stamps of doctors and notary public, forged files of patients and donors and other falsified documents.

After receiving a tip-off on June 16, the Crime Branch conducted a raid on the same day at Jasola village.

Four individuals were apprehended during the raid — Rasel, Rokon and Sumon Miya, all natives of Bangladesh, and Ratesh Pal of Tripura.

After the arrest, the accused revealed their modus operandi. They used to target kidney patients in Bangladesh by visiting dialysis centres and exploiting the poor financial backgrounds of potential donors. The donors were brought to India under the pretext of job opportunities, and their passports were confiscated upon arrival.

“Accused Rasel and his associates prepared forged documents to establish a false relationship between the donors and patients, a mandatory requirement for kidney transplantation,” said a senior police official. “These documents facilitated preliminary medical examinations and subsequent kidney transplants,” he added.

Further investigation revealed that Vikram Singh, personal assistant to Dr Rajakumari, played a crucial role in preparing patient files and affidavits. Singh charged Rs 20,000 per patient. Additionally, Md Sharique, another associate, facilitated appointments and medical tests, charging Rs 50,000-60,000 per patient.

On June 23, Vikram Singh and Sharique were arrested.

“Their testimonies implicated Dr Rajakumari, who was subsequently arrested on July 1 for her involvement and knowledge of the illegal activities,” the official added.

Rasel, a native of Bangladesh, studied up to Class XII, came to India in 2019. After donating his kidney to a Bangladeshi patient, he initiated the racket, coordinating between donors and patients. He received 20-25 per cent commission for each transplant, which costs a patient Rs 25-30 lakh.

Sumon Miyan, Rasel’s brother-in-law, joined the racket this year. He managed pathological tests for kidney patients and received Rs 20,000 per patient. While Md Rokon, who was responsible for preparing fake documents, was paid Rs 30,000 per patient, he also donated his kidney in 2019.

Ratesh Pal used to get a commission of Rs 20,000 per patient/donor and Sharique, a resident of UP, coordinated with Vikram Singh and Dr Rajakumari for transplant documentation.