Mumbai-to-Cairo kidney racket: Cops save two donors, identify five recipients

In the ongoing investigations into the Mumbai-to-Cairo kidney transplant racket, the police have identified five of the recipients, who come from all across the country and saved two donors from giving away their kidneys. The recipients are Ashok Mahajan, a top fisheries businessman from Kashmir, Bipin Chandrarao, a famous car dealer from Mumbai, Shilpa Khosla daughter of the mayor of Phagwara city in Punjab, Garima Joshi, who is the wife of a UP-based IT professional and a student from Surat who is currently in the US.

Kidney racket kingpin (left) Suresh Prajapati and his aide Vruchantala Nizamuddin

DCP zone VIII, Anil Kumbhare told mid-day, "Four different police teams have been deputed across the country to investigate the matter." Sources said, after the names of the recipients came up during the interrogations of the arrested accused, it was found that Suresh Prajapati, 37 was operating the racket. mid-day had first reported on the racket on September 7, after which Prajapati was arrested by the Sahar police from Hyderabad. He was previously arrested in January 2016 for another kidney racket he'd been operating from Hyderabad. Vruchantala Nizamuddin, one of his aides, has also been arrested in the current case.

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After busting the international racket, cops zeroed in on two kidney donors mid-September and foiled a scheduled transplant by reaching out to them. Kalyan-based engineer Ram Teke and Abdul Batcha from Kerla were rescued from the illegal transplants.

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A police officer said, "The two donors who were saved were on the verge of bankruptcy. Investigations have revealed that they came in contact with the accused through posts on social media platforms about kidney donations in return for money."

Also read: Kidney racket kingpin, Suresh Prajapati, arrested again

Sources added that Teke was intercepted in Kalyan while his visa was under process whereas Batcha was called back from Cairo to Mumbai after cops contacted their counterparts in Cairo.

Five others found
Cops have also located five others who gave away their kidney after coming in contact with Prajapati who was allegedly running the racket under the guise of a travel consultancy firm in Ahmedabad named 'Shiksha Consultancy'.

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Cops are yet to get details on the transplants. A police official said, "Since the transplants were conducted in Egypt, we have to go through the diplomatic forum to get their details. We have written to the Ministry of External Affairs in the matter and awaiting a reply from them."

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