The police team investigating the kidney trade in Vijayawada is probing whether the racket has connections in other States as well. The investigating officers said the accused targeted women living in acute poverty and convinced them to sell their kidneys.
“We arrested four persons in two cases. The officers are trying to find out for how long has the racket been functioning, whether any deals had been made earlier and other particulars,” said West Zone Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) K. Hanumantha Rao.
Babu Rao, the accused who is on the run, had been arrested in January this year by the NTR District police in an organ transplantation case. Mr. Babu Rao was in touch with the arrested accused and had played a key role in conducting medical tests for the donors, said Bhavanipuram CI Abdul Salam.
Police are trying to verify the bank transactions, mobile phone call data of the accused, mediators and the receivers in the racket, and how much money was paid to the women who underwent medical tests for donating their organs.
Speaking to The Hindu, Commissioner of Police Kanthi Rana Tata said the role of the hospitals, paramedical staff, doctors and diagnostic centres is being probed.
“In the two cases, police acted swiftly, detected the crime in advance and busted the racket. Instructions have been given to the officers to trace where the accused arranged medical tests for the donors and to find others involved in the racket,” Mr. Kanthi Rana said.
Under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994, the medical director, hospital superintendent or the administrator should forward the application from the hospital where the transplantation is proposed.
The recipient and the donor should apply to the authorisation committee with prescriptions (treatment documents) issued by the urologist or surgeon concerned for obtaining its permission.
The family structure certificate should possess the details of the donor, father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, son and daughter with address, names and age, the investigating officers said. “We are also investigating the economic conditions of the donors in the racket,” the CI said.
