Main Accused In Assam Kidney Trafficking Case Arrested In Tamil Nadu

The prime accused in Assam's kidney trafficking case was brought back to the state from Tamil Nadu - where he was arrested three days ago - on the intervening nights of Tuesday and Wednesday. A local court has sent him to six days police remand today.

The accused, Plaban Borthakur, who was missing for the last four months, was tracked in Coimbatore, a town about 500 km from Tamil Nadu capital Chennai, said Morigaon superintendent of police Aparna Natarajan.

"The accused was arrested three days back and brought to Jagiroad police station on Tuesday night where a case was earlier registered against him," the police officer said.

The Assam police had unearthed the illegal kidney transplant racket in the state in July this year. The racket would cheat people in dire need of money into donating their kidney in exchange for money and would only pay them a part of it. Victims of the racket were first discovered in Morigaon and soon complaints surfaced from different parts of the state as well. Mr Borthakur's name came up in quite a few of these complaints.

The accused had acquired an interim bail which was challenged by the Assam Police in the Gauhati High Court which then denied the bail on grounds of enough evidence against him. But, Mr Borthakur, went into hiding by then.

"Our investigation was halted so far but more information is expected to come up," said the police.

Five persons were arrested in connection with the case, four of them are out on bail, police sources said.

"We will now be able to make connections of others involved in the racket. Police is yet to investigate into Plaban Borthakur's phone records and bank statements," Natarajan said.