The city police have begun investigations into an alleged kidney theft incident, in which the kidney of a city-based married woman was removed by a racket clandestinely after luring her poor family with some money.
Following a tip-off, the relatives of the woman made a frantic search for the family and found the three children and the husband of the woman at a place in neighbouring Jajpur district. The kidney of the woman was apparently removed at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, where she is recuperating now.“On the basis of a complaint by some relatives of the woman, the Mangalabag police of the city have registered a case and started investigations,” said city DCP Sanjib Arora on Sunday, asserting that if the allegation turns out to be true, stringent action would be taken against the culprits.
Quoting the relatives, the police said Bhabagrahi Naik, his wife Padmini and their three children had gone missing from their house in Naik Sahi under the Mangalabag police limits about a fortnight ago. “While the family was in abject poverty, their house was frequented by a neighbourhood woman with suspected motives just a few days before they went missing,” the police said.The inklings of the relatives gained strength when Bhabagrahi disclosed that the con woman had given him Rs 50,000 and promised to pay Rs 2.5 lakh more once his wife underwent a minor surgery at a Bhubaneswar hospital, the police said.
“We are now pretty sure that cashing in on the poverty of the family, a kidney theft racket trapped the family and clandestinely removed one of the kidneys of the woman in exchange of a few bucks,” said a native of Naik Sahi.Meanwhile, the city police have formed a team of experts and sent it to the Bhubaneswar hospital, where the woman is believed to be undergoing treatment, for further investigation. The police are also on the lookout for the con woman, who is believed to be the kingpin of the racket.