Over a period of 40 days and based on more than 200 calls and video recordings, the Delhi Police Crime Branch team with the help of a 24-year-old MBA student and a TV channel reporter busted a gang which indulged in kidney transplants. Four people have been arrested in this connection. The accused have been identified as Jayant Sahoo, Sulekha Panda, Anoj Patla and Birju Paswan.
Praveer Ranjan, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) said that 24-year-old Jaideep Sharma, a native of Rajasthan came in contact with the sleuths of the Crime Branch through a TV reporter.
Police sources said that Jaideep, an MBA student took to uncovering the kidney racket after his close friend went missing. Talking to The Pioneer, Jaideep said, “My friend Rajesh had fallen into the trap of these people. They lured him into selling his kidney and for the last one-and-a-half year, my friend has been missing. I want to find him.”
A senior police officer said, “Jaideep had informed us that he was contacted by a man named Imitiaz who further introduced him to Jayant Sahoo, who introduced himself as Rahul Sahoo. He asked Jaideep to sell his kidney and promised him Rs4 lakh cash. After keeping in touch with the accused for more than one- and-a-half months, on April 13, Jaideep approached the Crime Branch along with a reporter of News 24 Channel, Rahul Prakash, to expose the racket.”
“A sting operation was carried out by the team of Crime Branch under the supervision of ACP Sanjay Sehrawat along with the channel. During the meetings, it was revealed that Jayant Sahoo had arranged for a new identity for Jaideep to fulfil the guidelines of the hospital,” said the police officer.
Apart from that, the accused prepared forged documents of Jaideep in the name of Polepeddy Snayna Podma Phani Kumar, from Andhra.
“To make sure that Jaideep looks like a south Indian, the accused got Jaideep a makeover and worked on Jaideep’s accent. During the sting operations, it was revealed that a transaction of Rs30 lakh took place between the relatives of the patient and the agent Jayant Sahoo to arrange for a kidney donor,” said a senior investigator.
“Since the receiver, an elderly diabetic patient was in want of a kidney for the past ten years, the accused introduced Jaideep at the Batra Hospital as the son of the elderly man to ensure that the kidney was donated legally,” said the senior police officer.
Police found Batra Hospital to be involved in the racket. Moreover, we suspect the involvement of the medical staff of the Batra Hospital as the interview was held before the Internal Committee of Doctors which approved the transplant case after asking relevant questions, despite the fact that the reply of some questions were given deliberately wrong.
The date of transplantation of kidney was fixed for May 25 at Batra Hospital. However, after incriminating evidences were gathered, a case was registered under sections of 18, 19 and 20 of Transplantation of Human Organ Act 1994 and IPC sections 468, 467, 471 and 120B. During the course of investigation several raids were conducted including at Batra Hospital and several relevant documents have been seised.