Indian doctor held for Bangladesh-India kidney transplant 'racket'
An Indian doctor affiliated with Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospital has been arrested for allegedly being involved in an organ transplant racket operating between Bangladesh and India, according to the Indian Express.
Dr. Vijaya Kumara, who is currently suspended, was the only doctor implicated in the scheme. The 50-year-old physician reportedly collaborated with a gang to conduct approximately 15-16 transplants between 2021 and 2023 at Noida-based Yatharth Hospital.
Investigations revealed that patients from Bangladesh were enticed by a network of middlemen, including Kumari and her associates, for organ transplants at major hospitals in the National Capital Region. In addition to Kumari, three Bangladeshi nationals were arrested last month.
Allegedly, fake documents purporting to be from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi were created to falsely establish a relationship between the donor and recipient (both Bangladeshi), which is a legal requirement under Indian law. Authorities have reportedly seized these forged documents.
Sources indicate that Kumari, a senior consultant and kidney transplant surgeon, joined Apollo Hospital as a junior doctor nearly 15 years ago. She was not on the hospital's payroll but was engaged on a fee-for-service basis. Sunil Baliyan, the Additional Medical Superintendent of Yatharth Hospital, stated that Kumari served as a visiting consultant and performed transplants on patients she brought in. "No patient from Yatharth was assigned to her, and she performed one surgery in the last three months," he said.
'Given this action by the police, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals (IAH) placed the doctor under suspension. IAH was previously approached by the Crime Branch seeking certain information as part of an investigation, which was duly provided,' an IAH spokesperson said.
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