Kidney transplant racket involving Bangladeshis busted, Delhi doctor among 7 arrested
New Delhi, Jul 9: At least seven people, including a 50-year-old Delhi-based woman doctor, have been arrested in connection with an alleged kidney transplant racket running across Bangladesh and the Delhi-NCR region, police officials said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, the Delhi Police Crime Branch 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, now working as a kidney transplant surgeon on a "fee-for-service basis" in the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in southeast Delhi, 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 Noida-based Yathartha Hospital where she was a visiting consultant.
The other arrested persons included an assistant of the doctor, identified as Vikram Singh, and three Bangladeshi nationals identified as Rasel, Mihammad Sumon Miyan and Mohammad Rokon alias Rahul Sarkar alias Bijay Mondal.
The arrests took place over the last two weeks, police said.
According to the officials, incriminating materials including 23 stamps, forged files of patients and donors of kidney transplantation, and forged Aadhaar cards were recovered from the possession of the accused persons.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Amit Goel said Rasel is the kingpin of this network, who came to India in 2019 and donated his Kidney to one Bangladeshi patient.
After his surgery, Rasel started the racket. He would coordinate between different stakeholders and established contact with prospective kidney donors from Bangladesh and patients, the DCP said.
One of his associates, Ifti, who is in Bangladesh, used to get the donors, the official added.
He would usually get 20-25 per cent commission after the transplantation, which generally costs a patient Rs 25-30 lakh.
Rasel had taken a house on rent in Jasola, near the Apollo Hospital, from where he, Rokon, Sumon Miya, and one Ratesh Pal of Tripura were arrested on June 16, Goel said.
At their instance, three kidney seekers and three donors were identified, the DCP said.
Another officer said during interrogation, all four accused confessed that 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 officer said.
The accused would confiscate the donors' passports after reaching India. Thereafter, Rasel, with the help of Sumon Miyan, Rokon and Ratesh Pal, got prepared the forged documents of patients and donors to show the relationship between them, as it is mandatory that only the close relative can be a donor, police officials said.
Vikram, personal assistant of Dr Rajakumari, used to assist in preparation of the patient files and was instrumental in getting the affidavit of patient and donor prepared, they said, adding that Vikram used to take Rs 20,000 per patient.
Rasel also disclosed the name of Mohammad Sharique, who used to take appointment of patients from Dr Rajakumari and get the pathological tests of the donors and seekers done taking Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 per patient.
On June 23, Vikram and Sharique were arrested.
According to the officials, Rasel, Vikram and Sharique disclosed that Dr Rajakumari had complete knowledge about each and every illegal act being done by the accused on the basis of forged papers. Accordingly, on July 1, Dr Rajakumari was also arrested in the case.
Investigation is on to identify the number of transplants conducted in the racket, the officials said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Yathartha Hospital stated that the Noida hospital has no direct association with Dr Rajakumari as she is a part of some other hospital.
"For all our procedures, we ensure the highest ethical standards, prioritize patient safety and comply with all clinical and government protocols. We have cooperated fully with all investigations, and there have been no findings of wrongdoing against our hospital or our practices," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Indraprastha Apollo Hospital (IAH) also released its press statement in which it said the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch department had taken custody of a doctor who had been engaged on a fee-for-service basis and not on the hospital’s payroll.
"This action is subsequent to an investigation pertaining to procedures carried out at another hospital and prima-facie not related to any action or acts at IAH. Given this action by the police, the IAH had placed the doctor under suspension," the statement said.
It further stated that IAH was previously approached by the Crime Branch seeking certain information as part of an investigation, which was duly provided.
"We reiterate our utmost commitment to adhering to all laws, rules and regulations in relation to clinical and administrative processes for all patients – national or international. The wider Apollo Hospitals Group has done more than 25,000 transplants and has followed all laws and processes in letter and spirit. Our processes have been reviewed by competent government authorities who have upheld our record of compliance," it said.
The IAH will provide its fullest cooperation to investigative authorities on this matter, the statement added.
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TMC dismisses reports of I-PAC halting WB ops, Mamata says party to give jobs to staffers if needed
Kolkata/Tarakeswar (WB) (PTI): Dismissing reports that political consultancy firm I-PAC had suspended its operations in West Bengal as "completely baseless", the TMC on Sunday alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched by the BJP-led Centre to cripple the party's campaign machinery through intimidation.
The sharp rebuttal from the ruling party came hours after reports surfaced that the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), which has been closely associated with the TMC's election campaigns since 2021, had allegedly asked its employees in West Bengal to stop work immediately and proceed on a 20-day leave.
A newspaper report claimed an email purportedly sent by the organisation to its employees late on Saturday night cited "legal obligations" and said work in West Bengal would remain suspended until May 11, after which the next course of action would be communicated.
While the I-PAC is yet to issue any statement on the matter, the TMC, in an official comminique issued on Sunday afternoon, said the I-PAC had not withdrawn from the party's campaign.
"We have come across a media report claiming that I-PAC has halted its operations in West Bengal for the next 20 days. This claim is completely baseless and appears to be a deliberate attempt to create confusion on the ground," the party said.
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The statement asserted that the I-PAC team in West Bengal "remains fully engaged" with the TMC and that campaign operations across the state were continuing according to plan.
"These narratives are a deliberate attempt to distract from the clear mood on the ground. The people of West Bengal are fully capable of seeing through these attempts and will respond democratically," it added.
In a politically loaded message aimed at the BJP, the TMC said West Bengal would not be "swayed by misinformation or intimidation" and that the electorate would give its answer during polling on April 23 and 29.
The issue acquired a sharper political edge later in the day when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee broke her silence and accused the BJP and central agencies of trying to frighten not just the TMC, but also those working for the party.
Addressing an election rally in Tarakeswar, Banerjee, without taking the consultancy firm's name, declared that if I-PAC employees were forced out of their jobs because of the ongoing pressure, her party would absorb them.
"They raid us through the ED every day. Suddenly, during elections, they remembered all this? They are telling those who work for our party to leave West Bengal. They have fifty organisations. We have only one," Banerjee said.
In a combative mood, she said, "If they are threatened, they will join us. We will give them jobs. I will not allow even one boy to lose his job. I spoke to Abhishek this morning before coming here."
Without naming the BJP directly, the chief minister alleged that a "deep conspiracy" was underway to disrupt the TMC's election preparations at a crucial juncture.
"We will not accept this conspiracy. How much more will you torture us? How many more votes will you try to snatch? After this, you will bring NRC," she said, invoking one of the Opposition's most potent political issues in West Bengal.
The TMC's aggressive pushback comes against the backdrop of mounting legal and investigative pressure on I-PAC and some of its senior functionaries.
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier conducted searches at I-PAC's office in Kolkata and at the Loudon Street residence of the organisation's founder, Prateek Jain, in connection with the coal smuggling case.
During the raid, Banerjee herself had reached Jain's residence and later alleged that central agencies were attempting to seize confidential election-related documents linked to the TMC's campaign.
The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court and remains under judicial consideration.
More recently, I-PAC co-founder and director Vinesh Chandel was arrested in New Delhi and is currently in ED custody. The arrest had triggered a sharp reaction from TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who described it as "not democracy, but intimidation".
