Ghaziabad Police Apprehend Two Hospital Staff in Major Kidney Trade Racket
In a significant development in the ongoing investigation into a widespread illegal kidney trade and transplant operation, Ghaziabad police have arrested two additional suspects. The individuals, identified as Kuldeep Singh Raghav and Rajesh Kumar, served as Operation Theater (OT) in-charges at different medical facilities. Authorities are now intensively tracking their third associate, a doctor whose identity remains undisclosed.
Telegram Group Facilitated Illegal Organ Trade
The illicit network allegedly utilized a Telegram group named "Kidney Donor" to coordinate their activities. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) SM Kasim Abidi, the gang employed this digital platform to streamline their operations, connecting donors, recipients, and medical personnel. The mastermind, Dr. Rohit from Lucknow, reportedly offered payments ranging between Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 40,000 along with flight tickets for each transplant procedure to his accomplices.
Sunday Night Transplant at Ahuja Hospital
The investigation centers around an illegal kidney transplant performed on Sunday night at Ahuja Hospital in Keshavpuram, Rawatpur, Kanpur. During this procedure, a resident of Muzaffarnagar received a kidney from an MBBS student hailing from Begusarai, Bihar. Dr. Rohit led a team of eight individuals, who arrived in Kanpur by flight and proceeded to the hospital in two vehicles to execute the transplant.
Police action was triggered by a tip-off from a member associated with the racket, who alerted authorities about the illegal transplant on the same night. Following the operation on Monday, law enforcement arrested Ahuja Hospital operator Dr. Surjit Singh Ahuja, his wife and IMA Kanpur vice-president Dr. Preeti Ahuja, along with brokers Shivam Agrawal, Ram Prakash, Rajesh, and Narendra Singh.
Arrests and Ongoing Manhunt
Post-transplant, the group split up: five individuals departed for Lucknow in a pre-booked car, while three others traveled to Ghaziabad in an SUV around 2 a.m. Police traced the SUV's registration number and contacted its driver, who disclosed that he had picked up three masked persons near Ahuja Hospital. Payment was made online, which enabled investigators to link the transaction to Kuldeep's bank account, leading to his arrest alongside Rajesh.
Further inquiries revealed that Kuldeep served as the OT in-charge at Shanti Gopal Hospital in Ghaziabad, whereas Rajesh held the same position at Sarvodaya Hospital in Noida. The five accused dropped in Lucknow indicated plans to visit Daman and Diu, with investigations confirming they had booked flights. Police noted that the arrested individuals were preparing to flee abroad, underscoring the urgency of the crackdown.
Wider Network and Manipulative Tactics
Authorities are actively searching for several other medical professionals linked to the racket, including Dr. Rohit, Dr. Afzal from Meerut, Dr. Anurag alias Amit, and Dr. Vaibhav. The gang's manipulative methods involved showing potential donors videos of celebrities with health issues to coerce them into selling their kidneys, exploiting their vulnerabilities for financial gain.
In response to these revelations, the licenses of Ahuja and Priya Hospital are slated for revocation. The case highlights the sophisticated use of technology and medical expertise in facilitating illegal organ trade, prompting calls for stricter regulations and enhanced monitoring within the healthcare sector.
