Kanpur Police Arrest Fake Doctor in Major Kidney Transplant Racket
In a significant breakthrough in the investigation of a widespread illegal kidney transplant racket, Kanpur police on Monday arrested Rohit Tewari, a 34-year-old Class XII passout, for posing as a doctor and managing approximately 30 surgeries. Tewari, who had a bounty of Rs 25,000 on his arrest, had been evading authorities by moving between Goa, Kathmandu, Manali, and Shimla since the racket was initially busted on March 31.
Exposure of the Syndicate
The syndicate came to light after police teams, acting on a tip-off, raided Ahuja Hospital in Maswanpur and discovered illegal kidney transplants being conducted at various hospitals across the city. Investigations revealed that the racket's operations extended beyond Kanpur to Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and even Nepal. The accused utilized the messaging app Telegram to lure impoverished individuals into selling their kidneys for amounts ranging from Rs 5 to 10 lakh, subsequently selling these organs to wealthy patients for exorbitant sums between Rs 60 lakh and 1 crore.
Role of the Mastermind
Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal stated that during interrogation, Rohit Tewari admitted to being a Class XII passout who fraudulently posed as a medical professional. Authorities seized several photographs as evidence, showing Tewari wearing a stethoscope and an apron, and in some instances, performing surgeries inside an operating theater. Following the March 31 raid, police expanded their investigation to Priya Hospital in Panki Kalyanpur, where a woman had undergone a transplant, and Medlife Hospital in Awas Vikas Kalyanpur, where a student from Begusarai, Bihar, was found admitted. It was discovered that this student's kidney had been donated to the woman at Priya Hospital.
Manipulation of Donors
The student revealed that he was persuaded by Shivam Agrawal, an ambulance driver he met through Telegram, who used deceptive arguments to motivate him. Agrawal cited examples such as megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who lives with one kidney and remains active in films, and spiritual leader Premanand Maharaj, whose kidneys are damaged. Convinced by these misleading comparisons, the student agreed to sell one of his kidneys. During the illegal procedures, hospitals allegedly failed to create proper medical files for patients or prepare Bed Head Tickets for donors, with post-surgery treatment details scribbled on plain paper without official stamps.
Arrests and Consequences
So far, police have arrested and jailed the owner couple of Ahuja Hospital, Dr. Surjit Ahuja and Preeti Ahuja, along with broker Shivam Agrawal and nine others. Interrogations have identified Rohit Tewari, a resident of Delhi, as the mastermind behind the racket. Additionally, Dr. Afzal of Meerut and OT technician Mudassar Ali have been named as accomplices, with rewards of Rs 25,000 each announced for their capture. Police have reported that many patients who underwent illegal surgeries or donated kidneys under this gang's operation have died, primarily due to the involvement of untrained and fake individuals like Tewari.
This case highlights the severe risks posed by unregulated medical practices and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals in organ trafficking networks.
