Indian police have filed a case against 6 doctors.
By Sreekanth A Nair
The Sri Lankan government temporarily suspended all kidney transplants for foreigners last week following a report from Indian police alleging the nexus between kidney racket in India and some doctors and hospitals in Sri Lanka.
The ban applies to both government and private hospitals, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Indian police have arrested three men who according to the police have recruited at least 60 people to sell their kidney. They have also allegedly made arrangements for sellers to travel to Sri Lanka to remove their kidney and transplant them in Indians.
Vikram Jeet Duggal, superintendent of police in Nalgonda district of the state of Telangana said that the police was suspecting the involvement of some doctors in four hospitals in Sri Lanka where kidney transplants were conducted allegedly and the police have also started an investigation into that aspect also.
Indian police have filed a case against six doctors of four hospitals who allegedly conducted illegal kidney transplants in return of money.
Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne ordered a full investigation into claims by Indian police that the doctors attached to some private hospitals did kidney transplants for Indians involved in a major kidney racket, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We decided to stop all transplants involving foreigners until we get to the bottom of this. I have asked for details from our (police) criminal investigation department about this,” the minister told reporters.
Nalgonda police have arrested the kingpin in the kidney racket, Suresh Prajapathi, and two of his cronies, who facilitated the transplants last week. The police also arrested Prajapathi’s accomplice Dilip Umedamal Chouhan.
Last December, Indian police had arrested one money lender and an agent from Vidarbha in the state of Maharashtra for their alleged connection with a kidney racket and sending a daily wager to Sri Lanka to sell his kidney.