Illegal kidney transplant for Phagwara mayor's daughter at Rs. 40L
After busting a major international kidney racket at Mumbai Airport, the city cops claimed that the racketeers received Rs. 40L even from Arun Khosla, the mayor of Punjab's Phagwara, to get a kidney for his daughter. Kingpin Suresh Prajapati and his aide Vruchantala Nizamuddin got a kidney donor from Andhra Pradesh and arranged for an illegal transplant in Cairo earlier this year. Know more!
Mumbai Police team records Mayor Khosla's statement in Delhi
Mumbai Police sources said kingpin Prajapati and Nizamuddin got in touch with Mayor Khosla and the kidney donor through a social media platform. Khosla has reportedly confirmed that his daughter underwent a kidney transplant; however, he didn't divulge any details. After considering expert opinion, cops would decide whether to add the names of illegal organ donors and recipients among the accused in the case.
Most of the illegal recipients and donors were Indians
The racket was exposed on 2 September, when immigration officers at Mumbai's Chhatrapati International Airport caught Prajapati's aide, Nizamuddin. His frequent visits to Cairo aroused suspicion; he was handed over to Mumbai Police. It was revealed that the racketeers had trafficked four donors and four patients to the Egyptian capital since May. Another two donors traveling on tourist visas were reportedly called back.
Nizamuddin confesses his crime
A Mumbai Police official said that the 36-year-old Vruchantala Nizamuddin had confessed his crime after being detained at the airport. He added, "Initially, he denied any wrongdoing, but confessed after immigration officials found three passports in his possession."
Nizamuddin's arrest led us to Prajapati: Mumbai Police
After being arrested, Nizamuddin told police that he was only a carrier who worked for Prajapati. A police officer said Nizamuddin led them to the kingpin Prajapati, who had been arrested in Andhra Pradesh last year too for facilitating as many as 58 illegal transplants in Sri Lanka, since 2014. However, he got bail and started arranging for transplants in Egypt.