India police bust criminal gang involved in organ trafficking
Indian police have arrested members of an organ trafficking gang operating at a top Delhi hospital.
Five people, including two workers of Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, were arrested for allegedly luring poor people to sell their kidneys.
"We detected five cases of organ sale (by this criminal ring) this year. We have arrested five men and seized fake ID proofs, CDs, files and documents," a Delhi police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Police initially raided the hospital on Thursday, making three arrests, the officer said.
The unnamed officer added that the needy victims lured into the scheme sold their kidney for 300,000 rupees (about USD 4,500).
The organ was then re-sold at much higher prices, reportedly USD 160,000, to wealthy customers.
The upscale Apollo Hospital has denied any knowledge of the crimes and called on police investigators to deal with the matter in the strictest manner.
"The hospital has been a victim of a well-orchestrated operation to cheat patients, and the hospital," an Apollo spokesman said in a statement on Saturday, adding that not any of those arrested over the racket were on the hospital’s employee payroll.
"We urge the police to take the strictest of action against all those involved," Apollo Hospital stated.
The criminal gang reportedly used forged documents to pretend the victims were relatives of needy transplant recipients, fooling staff at the hospital, where two of the suspects worked as assistants to a senior nephrologist.
Commercial trade in organs is illegal in India and transplant donations to non-relatives must be approved by a special committee.
The victims came from across India, including the state of Tamil Nadu in the south and West Bengal in the east, to have their kidneys removed.
A chronic shortage of organs available for transplant fuels a booming black market trade in the body parts in India.
Millions of Indians suffer from kidney disease, mostly because of high rates of diabetes, hiking demand for transplants annually.
Despite efforts to stop organ trafficking, it continues due to the poverty of victims and high profit of dealers.
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