Cook from Mumbai Central, who works in a small eatery and sleeps in a tempo, was also the informant who led the police to the ring behind the 2007 kidney racket
It was a 28-year-old cook, whose home is a tempo, who exposed the kidney transplant racket at Hiranandani Hospital in Powai last week. Going through police statements of all those connected to the racket, mid-day found that Abid Sheikh, who lives in Mumbai Central, was the actual whistleblower. Sheikh spoke exclusively to mid-day revealing exactly how he came to expose the racket.
Also Read: Kidney transplant racket: Two held in Gujarat
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Abid Sheikh was one of the key informers of a kidney racket busted back in 2007 in which the same kingpin, Brijendra Bisen, was arrested. Pics/Sneha Kharabe
Sheikh, who is presently at an undisclosed location as there is threat to his life, was one of the key informers of a kidney racket busted back in 2007 in which the same kingpin, Brijendra Bisen, was arrested by the then Joint Commissioner Crime Rakesh Maria and his team.
Read Story: Kidney transplant racket: Hospital staffer cleared paperwork for Rs 8 lakh
Abid Sheikh lives in a tempo in Mumbai Central
Sheikh says his acquaintance Sundar Singh, who is now an accused in the racket, was employed at the same food joint he worked at for three years. Three months ago, Singh sold his kidney but got paid just Rs 1.2 lakh of the promised Rs 5 lakh. Singh then approached Bisen who fobbed him off saying he, too, had been swindled by the kidney recipient. Bisen then lured Singh into joining him in recruiting patients, assuring him of Rs 10,000 every month. Singh’s job was to escort donors to and from the hospital and provide them with accommodation and hospitalisation.
A year ago, Sheikh was tipped off about Bisen being out on bail and restarting the kidney racket. He started investigating.
In the process, Sheikh met a close accomplice of Bisen who alerted him to the racket being carried out in connivance with the doctors of Hirandani Hospital. The hospital management has denied this allegation.
“This was a high-profile racket, so I approached Rajesh Bansi Pawar, district president of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) who offered support,” says Sheikh.
“I got to know that Nadiad in Gujarat was the hub for selling kidneys and visited the place, but, couldn’t gather sufficient information from there,” Sheikh said.
Also Read: Kidney transplant racket gang facilitated 35 transplants in 5 years
A month ago, Sheikh bumped into Singh at Girgaum beach, who told him about being cheated of R5 lakh for his kidney and also told him about his new job with Bisen. Singh then introduced Sheikh to Shobha Thakur (42), a kidney donor. He also showed him documents that had been forged showing her as the wife of the kidney recipient, Brijkishore Jaiswal (48), a Surat-based textile businessman.
Sheikh had hit bull’s eye, “This was a big lead and I convinced Sundar to give me all documents with the promise of Rs 5 lakh.”
Once Sheikh got the documents, he handed them to Pawar who got his colleague Bhavin Metha to verify them. During verification, Pawar found the documents to be fake and decided to organise a raid at Hirandani Hospital on July 14, the transplant date.
By the time the INTUC team and the Powai police arrived to stop the transplant, it had been successfully completed. Sheikh played a key role in identifying the kingpin who was present at the hospital.
Sheikh said, “As soon as Bisen saw the police he tried to run away, but I grabbed him and handed him over to the police team.”
Now, Singh has been asking Sheikh for the promised Rs 5 lakh. “I am a mere cook and have no money to pay Sundar, who has been calling me every day. In 2007, we were paid handsomely by the Crime Branch, but this time neither INTUC nor the Mumbai police have rewarded us. I risked my life for nothing,” Sheikh said.
Rs 5 lakh
Amount Sheikh’s acquaintance, Sundar Singh, who is now an accused in the racket, was promised for a kidney. He got only Rs 1.2 lakh
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