Kidney trafficking mastermind being taken to Delhi

The alleged mastermind behind the kidney trafficking racket at Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, T. Rajkumar, was on Wednesday given on a three-day transit remand to Delhi Police by a court here.

Rajkumar, arrested from Rajarhat in Kolkata's northeast fringes on Tuesday, was presented at the Barasat court during the day.

His counsel moved a plea for bail, which was turned down by the judge of the Barasat court.

Rajkumar has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy for trading in human kidney.

"We moved a bail plea, which was rejected. The judge has given the police a three-day transit remand to present him in Delhi court by June 11," said defence counsel Dilip Kumar Sikdar.

The prosecution argued that Rajkumar was the kingpin of the racket for trading in kidney.

Police busted the racket on June 2 with the arrest of two Indraprastha Apollo Hospital employees and three touts on the charge of persuading economically-weaker people to sell their kidneys.

A case was then registered at Sarita Vihar police station in Delhi.

Police said Shailesh Saxena, 31, and Aditya Singh, 24, who work as personal secretaries to two Apollo Hospital doctors, were held for organising the kidney trade.

The three arrested touts were identified as Aseem Sikdar, 37, Satya Prakash, 30, and Devashish Moulik, 30.

Investigators have claimed the members of the gang persuaded poor people from various parts of the country to donate their kidney in exchange for money and also prepared forged papers, including the identity proofs to establish the relationship between the donors and the recipients.

The recipients were charged large sums while the donors were fobbed off with paltry amounts.

People falling prey to the gang come from various parts of the country like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Tamil Nadu.

Police sources said the hospital staff used to inform Sikdar about the need for a kidney, and he would then arrange the donors with the help of his associates Prakash and Moulik.

Police have so far questioned several doctors and staff members of Apollo Hospital in the case.

--IANS

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