Harvesting of organs: SIT to probe racket

Two victims had approached police separately

KANPUR :A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the organ harvesting racket busted on Sunday, wherein the police arrested 12 persons who allegedly used to trap people from a modest background and force them to sell their organs at throw away prices.

Two of the victims had approached the police separately—one of them was paid Rs 2.5 lakh for his kidney while another woman from Banda was also being forced to sell her organ.

Three of the arrested men have named three big hospitals of New Delhi, some doctors as well as coordinators behind the entire racket.

Apart from harvesting the organ, the coordinators also arranged buyers for the organs.

“A special investigation team headed by a deputy SP rank officer

is leading the probe. More than four teams are working to unravel the entire racket,” said Alok Singh, IG Kanpur zone. “The SIT will investigate the donors, recipients and people whose named have surfaced,” he said. The disclosures of people arrested from different parts of the state have alarmed the police authorities.

They informed that the donors were taken to Sri Lanka and Turkey where the organ transplant related laws are more relaxed.

SSP Kanpur Anant Deo said the police have rounded up 12 people who worked to identify and trap the people.

“One of the victims was sent to Delhi on the pretext of giving her a job. When she came to know the truth, she managed to escape,” he said.

“The gang earned Rs 30 lakh for a kidney and Rs 70 lakh for a liver. The donor was given Rs 2 to 4 lakh. The gang has been operating for long and an exhaustive investigation is needed to unravel the real extent of its operations,” he said. Following the arrests, several more victims came forward on Monday.