Selling own kidney paved way to organ trafficking, single deal fetches Rs 25 lakh

KOCHI: Some vital information has been revealed in connection with the organ trafficking mafia. Sabith Nasser (30) arrested from his home at Valappad in Thrissur told the investigation team that a person from Hyderabad connected him to the organ mafia.

He realized the possibility of organ trafficking after selling his own kidney in 2019. Sabith flew to Sri Lanka in 2019 to earn money by selling his organ following financial difficulties. He was taken to Sri Lanka by the Hyderabad team. Madhu whom he acquainted got him close to the racket. When Sabith realized that he would get a huge amount of money if stood as an intermediary, he completely turned to it. The initial finding is that he has earned crores. He spent most of his time in Iran after his wife left him. Sabith was in charge of the donors coming to Iran from India.

He said that twenty people including a Malayali, were brought to Iran for organ transplant. The police suspect that there may be more victims. The Nedumbassery police have collected the details of the victims.

A native of Palakkad was trafficked a year ago. Mostly are women. Police have received a hint that two people have died in Iran but have not confirmed it. People from the cities of Hyderabad and Bengaluru were mainly trafficked to Iran.

The transaction was done with a fake passport and Aadhaar of the victims. The mafia makes a package with the patient for Rs 60 lakh and pays the donor Rs 6 lakh plus hospital expenses and ticket accommodation. The victim will be misled that a huge amount of money is spent in the hospital. More than 25 lakhs per person will fall into their pockets.

Sabith, who reached Kochi from Iran via Kuwait on Saturday night, was detained by the immigration department and handed over to the police. The investigating officers have decided to get Sabith into custody and interrogate him in detail. For this, a custody application will be filed in the Angamaly Magistrate Court. There are reports that the main person of the organ trade is a native of Ernakulam, settled in Iran. The police have started taking steps to bring him home. There are reports that one more person in the Hyderabad-based racket has been arrested.

Meantime, a special investigation team has been formed to investigate the case. A 10-member team led by Ernakulam Rural SP is investigating the case. The police are searching for Shemeer of Palakkad, victimized by Sabith. It has been decided to find Shemeer and take further action on the complaint. Sabith had admitted to the police that most of the organ traffickers were youths from Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Meanwhile, central agencies have also started investigating the links of the accused with international organ mafia groups.