A sessions court in Chandrapur delivered a significant blow to a key accused in a sprawling kidney trafficking racket on Wednesday. The court firmly rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Delhi-based doctor, Dr Ravinder Pal Singh. With this decision, the interim protection from arrest previously granted to him stands cancelled, paving the way for the Chandrapur police to take him into custody.
Court Upholds Police Objections, Paves Way for Arrest
The court's ruling came after strong objections from the Chandrapur crime branch. The police argued that Dr Singh's bail application was fundamentally untenable. Their contention was based on the fact that Dr Singh had already been arrested earlier in connection with the kidney transplant case and was produced on transit remand. Following the court's decision, police sources indicated that Dr Singh may now seek relief by approaching the high court.
Technical Evidence Points to Vast Interstate Network
In a parallel development, investigators have amassed substantial technical and forensic evidence. This evidence points towards the operations of a highly organised interstate and international organ trafficking network. The police have secured crucial call detail records (CDRs) and chat data of four key accused.
The individuals under the scanner are:
- Dr Ravinder Pal Singh from Delhi
- Ramkrishna Sunchu based in Solapur
- Himanshu Bhardwaj, a resident of Chandigarh
- Dr Rajaratnam Govindaswamy from Trichy
Investigators have revealed a damning pattern. Mobile location data places all four accused at the same location—Star KIMS Hospital in Trichy, which is owned by Dr Govindaswamy—at specific times when illegal kidney transplants were allegedly performed. This digital evidence has been sent to the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory in Nagpur for a comprehensive analysis.
Probe Uncovers Patient Deaths and Surgical Records
The investigation has taken a grim turn with the uncovering of patient fatalities. Three patients died during kidney extraction procedures allegedly linked to this racket. One of the deceased was a Bangladeshi national. Dr Singh, Dr Rajaratnam, Ramkrishna Sunchu, and Himanshu Bhardwaj are all under intense scrutiny, with records of their mobile conversations having been recovered and analysed.
In a major step, the police have also obtained detailed records of kidney transplant surgeries conducted at the Trichy hospital over the past two years. This data is expected to be pivotal in establishing the scale and timeline of the illegal operations. The case continues to unfold as authorities work to dismantle the entire network.
