International kidney racket exposed in Mumbai

Oct 10: Medical ethics once again got a setback when Mumbai police arrested five people along with one doctor for running a kidney racket crossing the boundaries of states and country on Monday.

The process of illegal kidney transplant was on since 2002 when they started conducting illegal operations. Joint commissioner of police Rakesh Maria told about the confession by the accused of running the racket since 2002 under which they had 200 illegal transplants till yet with 100 kidneys sent from Mumbai. The recipients of these kidneys were mostly rich people from gulf countries, Sri Lanka and Myanmar who were charged up to Rs. 15 lacs.

Donors often proved as the relatives of the recipient by the forged documents were persuaded by touts to remove one of their kidneys for huge amount of money which was never paid to them.

The doctor identified as Palani Ravichandran who was involved in executing the operations hails from Chennai. While other touts are Mumbai-based. The racket was not confined just to Mumbai but also has Gujarat as its operating ground. The doctor has been sent to police custody till October 16.

The scandal was highlighted when one victim not paid the promised sum complained in the police station and told the police that he was promised Rs. three lakhs for one kidney and taken to Gujarat for tests and then to Chennai for operation. Then police investigated and exposed the international kidney transplant racket in Mumbai.

The transplantation surgeries had been performed in Bharathiraja hospital on Madley Road and the New Bharathiraja hospital, though hospital denies any involvement saying that Dr. RaviChandran used to hire the operation theatre of the hospital for his patients with no other activity performed at the hospital premises.

All the accused, Sandeep alias Brijendra Bisen (34), Manoj Bopche (27), Mohammad Hanif Mansuri (45) and Shameem Ahmed Qureshi (52) will be charged under the Human Organ Transplant act 1994 which has been enacted to prevent the commercial dealings of human organs.

This is to be known that the buying and selling of human organs or cash-for-kidney transactions is a criminal offence under the act.

Making or receiving of any payment for the supply of any human organs or seeking a person willing to supply human organ for payment or initiating any arrangement for such supply or taking part in the management of body of persons is punishable offence under section 19 of the act. The criminal whose crime has been proved can be awarded from two to seven years of imprisonment.