New Delhi:

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police have uncovered how a racket operating across five states was luring Bangladeshi nationals into selling their kidneys and then selling the organs to those in need at a much higher cost.

Seven people, including three Bangladesh nationals, have been arrested after raids in the five states where the racket was operating — Delhi NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Multiple cellphones, laptops, SIM cards, cash and incriminating documents have also been recovered.

The gang, police said, talked underprivileged Bangladesh nationals into selling their kidneys for 4-5 lakhs. Sometimes, they were lured with jobs too. Documents were then forged to show that they are related to those receiving the organs. These kidneys were then sold for a price between Rs 20 lakh-Rs 30 lakh.

Among those arrested is Dr Vijaya Kumari, a consultant surgeon accused of conducting 15 to 16 illegal surgeries at a Noida hospital.

The matter came to light after the police received a tip-off about suspicious activities by a group of Bangladeshi nationals and conducted a raid in Delhi’s Jasola Vihar. Four people, Russell, Rokon, Sumon Miyan and Ratesh Pal were arrested.

The investigation revealed that an individual Dr. Kumari received about Rs 2 Lakh for each transplant.

Kidney transplant is a complex medical procedure performed when a patient suffers from end-stage kidney disease. Kidneys can be donated to a patient by close relatives. Kidney donation by non-related donors requires clearance from an authorisation committee. With the number of patients requiring a transplant being much more than the number of donors available, many resort to illegal ways to get a kidney. This is what kidney transplant rackets exploit.