Nine Arrested In Kidney Transplantation Racket At Hyderabad Private Hospital: Cops

Nine people were arrested in connection with an alleged illegal kidney transplantation racket at a private hospital, the police said on Saturday.

The case was registered on January 21 following a complaint from a health department official.

According to a police release, teams from the Rachakonda Commissionerate, in coordination with the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) of Ranga Reddy district, busted the racket on January 21 based on credible information.

The operation targeted the hospital's management, which was allegedly involved in conducting illegal kidney transplants at Saroor Nagar.

During the inspection, four individuals were found at the hospital, including two kidney donors from Tamil Nadu and two recipients, it said.

The recipients had already undergone kidney transplant surgeries and were receiving post-operative care.

All four were later shifted to the state-run Gandhi Hospital for further medical treatment. Following the inspection, health department officials sealed the hospital.

The inquiry revealed that the hospital was operating without the necessary authorisation to conduct kidney transplantation surgeries, officials said.

Those arrested include two doctors, one of whom is Sumanth, the Managing Director of the private hospital, and five medical assistants.

While two individuals were arrested on January 23, the remaining seven were apprehended on Saturday, the statement added.

Two surgeons-one from Tamil Nadu and the other from Jammu and Kashmir-along with three organisers of the racket from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, are currently absconding, the release stated.

The mediators were responsible for arranging donors and recipients.

Detailing the modus operandi, the release revealed that Dr Avinash, who completed his MBBS in China, started a hospital with his partners in 2022. However, due to financial difficulties, they later decided to sell it.

Laxman, one of the racket's organisers, approached Avinash with a proposal to conduct illegal kidney transplantations at the hospital.

Laxman assured that he would manage the doctors, assistants, donors, and recipients involved in the operations, the release added.

Dr Avinash later discovered that Pavan from Visakhapatnam and his assistant were the primary organizers of the racket. They were responsible for bringing in the main surgeons and operation theatre assistants, the release stated.

Each recipient was charged approximately Rs 55 to Rs 60 lakh, which was distributed among all those involved in the racket, according to the release.

Subsequently, Dr Avinash was forced to shut down his hospital due to administrative reasons. He then approached Sumanth, who agreed to provide the operation theatre for the illegal kidney transplant procedures.

Telangana Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, on January 24, directed that the investigation into the alleged illegal kidney transplant racket be handed over to the state police's CID.

After holding a meeting with officials and reviewing a report, the minister instructed that details of the case be shared with the governments of neighbouring states, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.

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