International kidney racket busted, 3 held
Hyderabad, Apr 1: An international kidney racket was busted with the arrest of three people who allegedly lured a 33-year-old man from Hyderabad and got his kidney removed in Turkey after promising to pay Rs 20 lakh, police said Monday.
Amrish Prathap, kingpin of the crime, and his two accomplices, Sandeep Kumar alias Rohan Malik and a 37-year-old woman, were arrested from Delhi and produced before a court there and brought to Hyderabad on a transit remand, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat told reporters here.
To identify the donors, the accused engaged agents and brokers and used social media to lure them with big money and simultaneously searched for rich patients who could spend around Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore for kidney transplantation, the Commissioner said.
Investigations revealed that Amrish Prathap sent patients and donors to Sri Lanka, Egypt and Turkey and had succeeded in conducting around 40 transplantations, he said.
The victim, in a complaint lodged with police in February 2019, said that in July 2018 he had seen a post on Facebook by Rohan Malik under the caption 'Kidney needed in India'.
The victim contacted Malik, who told him that they would pay him a huge sum of money if he sold his kidney, besides providing expenses for transportation, accommodation, documentation and medical examinations.
To tide over his financial situation, he accepted the offer of Malik who promised to pay him Rs 20 lakh and he went to Delhi in July 2018.
He met the accused and attended all the required medical examinations including cross-match test with the patient, police said.
In August 2018, Malik informed the victim about his travel to Turkey for surgery and removal of the complainant's kidney, Bhagwat said.
Before travelling, Malik and one Rithika Singh allegedly prepared forged documents for conducting the kidney transplantation surgery at a hospital in Izmir city and sent him (victim) along with the patient and his family, he said.
However, after the surgery the accused refused to pay him the promised money, which led to a clash there, following which they threatened him, saying if he disclosed the matter, they would kill him, Bhagawat said.
The complainant, having no other option on foreign soil, pleaded with them, collected his passport and returned to India, the Commissioner said.
Following his complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the IPC, the Transplantation of Human Organs Act and the IT Act.
Police found Amrish Prathap had involved many doctors, diagnostic centres, government officials, agents and brokers in the racket, he said.
A special police team kept surveillance over the activities of the accused and a Look Out Circular was issued against Prathap.
On March 28 midnight, Prathap landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi from Singapore and Immigration authorities detained him.
They informed Rachakonda police, who based on his information, arrested two of his accomplices in Delhi, the commissioner added.
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Inappropriate for MLAs seeking free IPL tickets, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd President D.K. Suresh on Monday said it is inappropriate for MLAs to seek free IPL tickets, adding that those interested in watching matches should pay for them personally.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “IPL is a commercial tournament and does not represent the country. It is not right for public representatives to focus too much on such matters.”
Referring to the recent controversy during the RCB celebrations, he said, “let us find out who benefited the most from the statements made during the incident.” He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had received IPL tickets as well.
Responding to discussions about relocating the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh said the government has already approved the construction of a new stadium at a location he had proposed.
“I had suggested building a stadium in Surya City and submitted a proposal for it. Bengaluru needs four stadiums in four directions to cater to its growing population and encourage youth participation in sports,” he said.
He noted that apart from Kanteerava Stadium, KSCA, and the Football Stadium, there are limited facilities in the city.
“When I was a Lok Sabha member, I had proposed allocating 100 acres in my constituency at Surya City. The land was later earmarked and the plan approved,” he added.
Suresh said he has discussed the project with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Chairman Shivalingegowda, and Anekal MLA Shivanna.
“The Cabinet has now approved the project, and a stadium will be developed on around 50–60 acres,” he said.
He further added that he has requested the Deputy Chief Minister to build another stadium at Shivarama Karanth Layout through the BDA, where 40 acres have been allocated. Plans are also being discussed to develop a well-equipped stadium in Bidadi.
Commending state government's recent bilingual policy move, Suresh said forcing children to learn three languages could affect their comprehension.
“It is a good decision to make two languages compulsory. Learning a third language should be left to the choice of students and parents,” he said.
Responding to criticism from BJP leaders, he said their tendency is to oppose every decision of the government.
“To please their central leadership, they take a pro-Hindi stance. Instead, they should advocate for the adoption of Kannada in all states,” he said.
When asked about the earlier three-language policy under Congress, he said, “the situation is different now. Today, the focus should be on quality learning. Kannada should remain the primary language, while students and parents can choose an additional language.”
