New Delhi: One of India's top hospitals unwittingly removed the kidneys of organ-trafficking victims believing they were donating them to relatives, a hospital spokesman said Saturday, after police arrested five over the racket.
A criminal gang including two workers at the upscale Apollo Hospital in Delhi allegedly lured poor people to sell their kidneys for 300,000 rupees ($4,500) before selling the organs on for huge profits, police said.
The gang used forged documents to pretend the victims were relatives of needy transplant recipients, fooling staff at the hospital, where two of the suspects worked as assistants to a senior nephrologist.
Commercial trade in organs is illegal in India and transplant donations to non-relatives must be approved by a special committee.
"We detected five cases of organ sale (by this criminal ring) this year. We have arrested five men and seized fake ID proofs, CDs, files and documents," a Delhi police officer said on condition of anonymity.
A chronic shortage of organs available for transplant fuels a booming black market trade in the body parts in India.
A criminal gang including two workers at the upscale Apollo Hospital in Delhi allegedly lured poor people to sell their kidneys for 300,000 rupees ($4,500) before selling the organs on for huge profits, police said.
The gang used forged documents to pretend the victims were relatives of needy transplant recipients, fooling staff at the hospital, where two of the suspects worked as assistants to a senior nephrologist.
The arrested accused worked as personal secretaries of Apollo hospital doctors for 3-4 years.
Commercial trade in organs is illegal in India and transplant donations to non-relatives must be approved by a special committee.
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"We detected five cases of organ sale (by this criminal ring) this year. We have arrested five men and seized fake ID proofs, CDs, files and documents," a Delhi police officer said on condition of anonymity.
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A chronic shortage of organs available for transplant fuels a booming black market trade in the body parts in India.
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