The Delhi Police on Saturday conducted raids in Kolkata and Chennai in search of the kingpin of the kidney trading racket, and other members in connection with which five people, including two personal secretaries of a Nephrologist in Apollo Hospital, have been arrested.
The Delhi Police traced at least three recipients and five donors in connection with the international kidney racket linked to Apollo Hospitals, even as the investigators sought legal opinion regarding slapping charges on them.
A 25-member special investigation team has been formed to crack the entire nexus. The team is looking out for other members and the racket’s kingpin Rajukumar Rao, for which raids were on Saturday conducted at Kolkata and Chennai, a senior police official said. Meanwhile, two more prominent private hospitals in the national Capital and some more staff in Apollo hospital have come under police scanner.
“Five people, including two personal secretaries of a nephrologist in Apollo hospital, have been arrested in connection with the kidney racket which is believed to have its ramifications in countries including Sri lanka and Indonesia,” an official privy to the investigation said.
Till Saturday afternoon, three of the recipients were traced in Kolhapur, Jammu and Kashmir and Ghaziabad. Prima facie the recipients shelled out over `40 lakh for each transplant, of which not even 10 per cent reached the donor, the official said.
During investigation it came to the light that the gang members used to prepare forged papers to establish the relationship between donors and recipients, to adhere to the law.