Kidney racket kingpin, who trapped Keralites into organ trafficking, arrested in Mumbai

Mumbai police have arrested two men, including an alleged kingpin of an international kidney racket. The arrested used to traffic people from Kerala and other parts of India to Egypt, for their kidneys. 

The arrested are identified as Suresh Prajapati, 37, and his accomplice Vruchantala Nizamuddin. Telangana police had arrested Prajapathi and two of his cronies in September 2016, and it was found that they had facilitated over 60 kidney transplantations. He was later released on bail. 

The gang took six donors to Egypt between May to July. The operation had been performed on four of them, and it is not clear whether there are Keralites among those donors. Other than Keralites, the gang has transported people from Delhi, Kashmir and Hyderabad. 

The members of the racket used to contact donors online. They would find out people who are in dire need of money and would trap them easily. They would conduct health checks of donors in various health centres in Ahmedabad. Then the persons would be taken to Cairo in Egypt under visit visa where the kidney trading would take place. Some transplants were also done in Sri Lankan hospitals. The racket chose Egypt and Sri Lanka to escape the legal hurdles of kidney transplantation in India. 

The gang used to charge ₹28 lakh to ₹30 lakh for a single transplantation, and of this, the gang would keep ₹5 to ₹10 lakh with them and distribute the rest among the doctors and others related to the trade. The donor would get only a very small amount. 

On interrogation, Prajapati had told police that he was introduced into organ trading by Dhawal Daruwalla, a native of Surat, in 2012. Prajapati also told police that it is the first time donors who turn out as agents who help find donors and suppliers for him. He used to offer a job and a commission of ₹40,000 for every new donor brought to him.

After verifying the authenticity of the donor, they would be asked to meet Prajapathi in Ahmedabad. The price of the kidney was fixed as per patient's needs and it goes up to ₹50 lakh. On finalising the deal, the documentation would be done for the donor to go to Egypt under visit visa. He even had aides at Mumbai airport to help donors board the flight. Till now, Prajapati has amassed ₹3 crore from the trade and bought a house for ₹1.4 crore, an office costing ₹30 lakh. 

• organ donors
• kidney racket
• organ trafficking
• Kidney trafficking