Organ transplant racket involving Bangladeshi nationals uncovered
New Delhi: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has dismantled an international kidney transplant racket operating in Delhi and NCR, apprehending seven members of the syndicate, including the kingpin, Rasel, a native of Bangladesh. The crackdown yielded a huge amount of incriminating evidence, including 23 fake stamps of doctors and notaries, forged patient and donor files, and counterfeit Aadhar cards, the officials informed on Tuesday.
According to the DCP (Crime Branch), Amit Goel, on June 16, reliable sources tipped off the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch about a well-organised syndicate involved in illegal kidney transplants. Acting on this information, a raid was conducted in Jasola Village by a team led by Inspectors Kamal Kumar and Satendra Mohan, under the supervision of ACP Ramesh Lamba. The operation resulted in the arrest of Rasel, Rokon, Sumon Miya (all residents of Bangladesh), and Ratesh Pal, a resident of Tripura, India. Three kidney seekers and three donors were also identified, leading to the registration of a case and the arrest of all four accused.
During interrogation, the accused revealed their modus operandi. They targeted kidney disease patients in Bangladesh, exploiting their financial vulnerabilities by promising jobs in India. Upon arrival in India, the donors’ passports were confiscated. Rasel and his associates, including Mohd. Sumon Miyan, Md. Rokon, aka Rahul Sarkar, and Ratesh Pal, forged documents to falsely depict the donors as close relatives of the patients—a prerequisite for legal kidney transplants. Using these forged documents, they arranged for preliminary medical examinations and subsequent kidney transplant operations, Goel mentioned.
The investigation uncovered the involvement of Vikram Singh, a personal assistant to Dr. D. Vijaya Rajakumari, who facilitated the preparation of patient files and affidavits for a fee of Rs 20,000 per patient. Another associate, Md. Sharique, coordinated patient appointments and pathological tests, charging Rs 50,000–60,000 per patient, the official said.
Following the initial arrests, Vikram Singh and Md. Sharique was apprehended on June 23, 2024. Rasel and his associates implicated Dr D. Vijaya Rajakumari, who was subsequently arrested on July 1, 2024, for her alleged knowledge and involvement in the illegal activities, DCP Goel confirmed.
The arrested individuals include Rasel, the kingpin who initiated the racket after donating his kidney in 2019. He coordinated between donors and patients, earning a 20–25 percent commission per transplant, with each operation costing Rs 25–30 lakh.
Md. Sumon Miyan, Rasel’s brother-in-law, arranged pathological tests, receiving Rs 20,000 per patient/donor. Md. Rokon, aka Rahul Sarkar, forged documents for Rs 30,000 per patient/donor and had donated his kidney in 2019. Ratesh Pal from Tripura assisted, earning Rs 20,000 per patient/donor. Sharique, a lab technician, coordinated with Vikram Singh and Dr Vijaya Rajakumari, who was aware of the illegal activities.
