Organ trade under guise of medical tourism: 5-year-long racket busted in Kerala
For five years, agents lured distressed donors with cash while recipients paid lakhs; forged records and illegal surgeries now under ED investigation
A network operating under the guise of a medical tourism company in Kerala allegedly ran an organ trafficking racket, exploiting financially distressed donors, an ED investigation has revealed.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had on Thursday (June 18) conducted searches at nine locations across the state, including hospitals, after registering a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on multiple FIRs filed by the Kerala Police.
Racket operated for 5 years
In a statement, the ED said the investigation was initiated following police cases that uncovered a sophisticated criminal syndicate allegedly involved in forgery, cheating, criminal conspiracy, and illegal organ trafficking under the facade of altruistic organ donation and medical tourism.
“Initial findings reveal that the accused, led by Muhammed Najeeb K and his partner Rasheeda AA through their front company Kallatharas Medical Tourism Pvt Ltd, orchestrated the racket between 2021 and 2026.
Also read: Kerala organ donation racket: Five detained for forging documents in Ernakulam raids
“Through a network of agents and middlemen, they targeted financially distressed donors, luring them with payments of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh while charging recipients Rs 20 lakh to Rs 35 lakh or more,” the ED said.
Illegal transplants at major hospitals
According to the agency, the accused forged several documents, including fake altruism certificates purportedly issued by the police, recommendation letters from public representatives, Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and other supporting records.
According to the police FIRs, the gang forged letterheads of two private hospitals in Kochi, police clearance certificates, and letters in the names of MLAs, MPs, police officers, and several prominent doctors.
The central agency said the forged documents were allegedly prepared at Sun Communications DTP Centre and Sign HD Digital Studio at Pallikkara in Ernakulam district. “Thereafter, illegal transplant procedures were facilitated at major hospitals in Ernakulam,” the ED alleged in the statement.
Simultaneous searches
On Thursday, simultaneous ED searches were conducted at hospitals and residences in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam districts since 6 am. The agency said the searches were conducted to trace the proceeds of crime, identify the ultimate beneficiaries and recover incriminating records, digital evidence, and financial transaction details linked to the illegal organ trade.
Also read: TN govt suspends transplant licences of two hospitals over kidney sale racket
During the searches, investigators seized forged documents and records relating to organ transplant surgeries, including details of donors and recipients and documents submitted before the District Level Authorisation Committee for obtaining approvals, the ED said.
Property details collected
The agency also collected details of immovable properties held by the accused and their associates to ascertain assets allegedly acquired using proceeds of crime.
“Freezing orders have also been issued in respect of the bank accounts of agents and intermediaries who facilitated the illegal organ trade. Moreover, the bank account details of the accused persons and their associated entities have been obtained and are being analysed to trace the flow and layering of the proceeds of crime. Further investigation is in progress,” the ED said.
Kerala Police have so far registered six cases in connection with the racket and arrested several accused, including the alleged kingpin, Najeeb, from Uttar Pradesh last month. Cases related to the racket have been registered in multiple districts, as it allegedly operated across Kerala.
(With agency inputs)