July 9, 2024 1:23 PM.
Delhi police has arrested seven people, including a doctor, in connection with an international organ transplant racket. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Amit Goel, said that the mastermind of this racket was a Bangladeshi.
He said, Crime Branch has also arrested a person, who used to arrange patients and donors, and a female doctor involved in the transplant. Mr Goel said, the accused have been running the organ racket since 2019.
Delhi Police’s Crime Branch said the organ transplantation racket had links in Bangladesh and India. “Seven people have been arrested in connection with an international organ transplant racket,” Amit Goel, DCP Crime Branch, said.
The mastermind of the organ transplant racket, Goel said, was a Bangladeshi. “Both the donor and the recipient were from Bangladesh. We have arrested a person named Russell, who used to arrange patients and donors,” he said.
The DCP said that the female doctor involved in the transplants has also been arrested, adding that further investigation is underway.
In a statement, Indraprastha Hospital said the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch department took custody of a doctor who had been engaged on a “fee-for-service basis” and was not on the hospital’s payroll.
The hospital said the arrest has led to an investigation into procedures carried out at another hospital, and it is prima facie not related to any actions at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals (IAH). “Given this police action, IAH has placed the doctor under suspension.”
The hospital also said that the Crime Branch previously approached it seeking certain information as part of the investigation, “which was duly provided.”
“IAH will provide its fullest cooperation to investigative authorities on this matter.”
Notably, the female doctor also worked at another private hospital, Yatharth, on a fee-for-service basis in Noida. However, the hospital has denied any direct association with her.
“Yatharth Hospitals has no direct association with the said doctor, as she is part of another hospital,” said a spokesperson for Yatharth Hospital, adding that for all its procedures, the hospital ensures the “highest ethical standards, prioritize patient safety, and comply with all clinical and government protocols”.
“We have cooperated fully with all investigations, and there have been no findings of wrongdoing against our hospital or our practices,” the hospital said.