Chennai, June 1 (IANS): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Tamil Nadu Police is probing the details of people who donated their kidneys as part of an international organ trade racket with roots in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
The Tamil Nadu Police have already taken four persons into custody for their alleged involvement in arranging donors for middlemen who then connected them with the recipients in Iran.
To recall, Sabith Nasar (30), a native of Kerala, was arrested by the Kerala Police on May 19 following his return from Iran after being tipped off by the central intelligence agencies which have been tracking him for his frequent visits to Iran and other West Asian countries.
During interrogation, Nasar told the police about the involvement of a Kochi native, Sajith Shyam, who was also an accused in the case.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu police launched a parallel investigation into the case and took into custody four persons after getting leads on their involvement in organ trade.
On Saturday, the Kerala Police announced the arrest of the kingpin behind the racket, Prasad alias Ballamkonda Ram Prasad (41), from Hyderabad.
Sources in Tamil Nadu Police told IANS that while the accused are maintaining that only 20 persons were taken to Iran for organ transplants from various parts of the country, the number could be more and the police are trying to find out details of these people.
When contacted, Kerala Police officials told IANS that they have tracked the details of almost all the 20 donors spread in different parts of the country.
However, none of those identified were willing to lodge complaints as they received the promised amount for organ trade, they said.
The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994, provides for the regulation of removal, storage, and transplantation of human organs and tissues for therapeutic purposes and to prevent commercial dealings in human organs and tissues.
The Act clearly states that organ transplantation must be devoid of any commercial transactions.