NOIDA: Police on Friday claimed to have busted an international kidney transplant racket in Noida with the arrest of two persons, including a Bangladeshi national who alleged that he was brought to India and was being forced to donate a kidney. The other person is an Indian facilitator, cops said.
The arrests came after Ahmed Sharif, the alleged donor, fell out with the patient, Mohammed Kabir, and dialled 112 informing police that he was being forced to donate his kidney. While the donor and the facilitator have been arrested, Kabir and his attendant continue to be at Fortis hospital in Noida, where the transplant was scheduled to take place. The alleged kingpin of the racket, Abdul Mannan, a travel agent, is based in Bangladesh.
In a statement, Fortis hospital in Noida has said that it is extending the fullest cooperation to the police “as they investigate the alleged fraud pertaining to a chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient from Bangladesh”.
“The patient, who had been referred for a kidney transplant surgery, visited Fortis Noida on December 23, 2020 for an outpatient consultation. A team of specialists at the hospital examined him and he underwent all necessary diagnostic investigations. Thereafter, the accompanying family members, who claimed to be the brother and the brother-in-law of the patient, approached the Bangladesh High Commission for a ‘no objection certificate’ to apply for the due process of kidney transplant as per Indian law. They received the NOC on January 11, 2021 and submitted it to the hospital.
“The donor (who claimed to be the recipient’s brother-in-law) confirmed his willingness to donate a kidney to the patient before an external committee, which has been video recorded as per the defined protocol. Notably, the recipient and the donor were never admitted at Fortis Noida. While all pre-transplant processes and protocols, as required by the law, were duly followed by the hospital, the transplant surgery was not conducted as the donor reneged,” the hospital said.
Police said at least five persons — the donor, the patient and his attendant Mohammed Sagir, the Indian facilitator Bajul Haque who is originally from Bihar, and Abdul Mannan — have been booked for cheating, forgery and forgery for cheating, and under the transplantation of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act and the Foreigners Act. The alleged kingpin forged the documents of the patient and the donor to show them as relatives and sealed the deal between them for money.
Phase III SHO Jitendra Dikhit told TOI, “Ahmed Sharif was supposed to donate his kidney to his relative but was convinced by Abdul Mannan to donate it to Mohammed Kabir instead, who was in need of the organ. Mannan prepared fake documents to show that Sharif was Kabir’s brother-in-law and they got the medical documents and the travel visa issued. They came to India after the Bangladesh High Commission approved their travel.”
In India, they were supposed to get the transplant done at Max Bengaluru or Max Delhi but they changed the hospital to Fortis Noida without informing the Bangladesh High Commission, the chief medical officer and the police, the SHO added.
“On January 18, Ahmed Sharif fell out with the patient and the facilitator after he wanted to return to Bangladesh since his son was unwell. The facilitator and the patient told him to donate the kidney and only then return since they had already spent around Rs 60,000 on the trip. However, Ahmed called 112,” he said. Police said the accused managed to surpass the screening committee of Fortis hospital by showing the forged documents.