Top Delhi surgeons under police scanner in international kidney racket

New Delhi: Over a dozen leading private surgeons, including top urologists in India's capital are under the scanner of Uttar Pradesh police in connection with what seems like an international kidney transplant racket, spreading across Turkey and the Middle East.

So far, 13 people including the CEO of Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute (PSRI), Dr. Deepak Shukla, have been arrested. Two leading doctors of Fortis hospital have been served notice in connection to the the kidney racket. An investigation against another leading hospital located in central Delhi is underway and more arrests are likely to be made in the case that has sent ripples across the medical fraternity.

Talking to IANS, Senior Superintendent of Police Kanpur, Anant Deo said that the Fortis hospital had been served notice in cases relating to the violation of Transplantation of Human Organs Act.

"Besides Fortis and PSRI, the role of one more hospital of Delhi has come to light where poor people were being cheated by doctors and hospital administration through an organised chain of middlemen," said Anant Deo, a Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer supervising the investigation.

According to the SSP, the police has now launched a massive hunt for one doctor, Dr. Ketan Kaushik, key accused in the case. He allegedly brought patients for kidney transplants from countries such as Turkey, and other places in the Middle East.

"The racket is spread far and wide. Different groups were operating in different regions. As of now, we have busted one of the groups linked with Delhi-based hospitals," Deo revealed.

The SSP said at least 10 of the accused and arrested revealed the name of Dr. Deepak Shukla. 

Modus operandi

The racket reportedly operated like a well-organised crime syndicate. For instance, international clientele were approached by a different set of people, while local kidney donors were trapped by touts already operating in the human organs transplant racket.

Police sources said that there was enough evidence to prove that the accused removed kidneys of at least 12 donors for a huge amount of money taken from the recipients' family. After extracting the kidneys, donors were paid just INR 2 or 3 lakhs while recipients were charged INR 70 to 80 lakhs per transplant.

The Delhi-based doctor for whom local police have launched a hunt, Kaushik, was found to be handling international clientele for the group.

According to the SSP, a detailed interrogation of Dr. Shukla and other key accused is being done by a special team led by Superintendent of Police (Crime) Kanpur, Rajesh Yadav.