Cops have learnt during investigations into the Mumbai-to-Cairo kidney transplant racket that one of the recipients of the trafficked organs is the daughter of Phagwara city mayor Arun Khosla
The Mumbai-to-Cairo kidney racket was busted earlier this month. Representation pic
The ongoing investigation into the Mumbai-to-Cairo kidney transplant racket busted earlier this month has led the city police to Punjab. The cops have learned that one of the recipients of the trafficked kidneys is the daughter of Phagwara city mayor Arun Khosla. In addition to speaking to Khosla, they have written to the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking reports of the transplants conducted as part of the racket in Egypt.
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The police approached Khosla in connection with the case last week. Sources said, "The Mumbai police has contacted him and sought the details of the kidney transplant of his daughter."
Mayor confirms
When mid-day spoke to Khosla, he confirmed that the Mumbai police have contacted him. He further said, "My daughter is unwell and I am not in a state to comment further."
Also read: Kidney racket kingpin, Suresh Prajapati, arrested again
Seeking reports of transplants conducted in Egypt for the racket, cops have also written to the ministry of external affairs.
A police official said, "Since the transplants were conducted in Egypt, we have to go through the diplomatic forum to get the details for them."
Nationwide probe
The investigations in the case are also spreading out to other states. Sources said, "The Sahar police have widened the probe and as many as five teams have been formed to conduct investigations in different states. The teams have been camping in Punjab, Jammu, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ernakulam. A team had also earlier visited New Delhi to locate a donor, but learned that the donor had been living in Jammu, so the team has now gone there."
A police official added, "As of now we have been able to locate four donors and four patients following the arrest of the accused."
mid-day had first reported about the kidney transplant racket busted in the city on September 7, when cops detained Vruchantala Nizamuddin, Prajapati's aide. He confessed to the racket and revealed that he was paid Rs 40,000 for each person who travelled abroad.
Also read: Cops bust big international kidney racket at Mumbai airport
He also said he was assigned to send over a dozen people to Cairo. Each recipient was charged anything between Rs 35-50 lakh for an illegal transplant while the donors were paid Rs 5 lakh.
Following Nizamuddin's confession, the Sahar police arrested Sunil Prajapati, the alleged kingpin of the racket, from Ahmedabad.
Cops have since learned the modus operandi of this racket was similar to another huge kidney racket busted in Hyderabad last year, in which Prajpati had been arrested and later let out on bail.
Rs 35 lakh
Minimum charge for kidney recipients
Rs 5 lakh
Amount paid to kidney donors
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