Kidney racket: why illegal kidney donors drag others into the mud

Illegal kidney donors, struggling with an identity crisis due to unauthorized changes to their Aadhaar cards and battling health problems, are often left with no option but to work as agents for organ traffickers. Many of these donors, most of whom were impoverished to begin with, now struggle with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The removal of their organ makes them unfit for work that pays enough for two meals a day. day, leaving them open to exploitation.

Halfway through the day, I discovered that illegal donors were forming multiple channels and groups on Instagram and Facebook, where they enticed others to donate their kidneys. Every illegal donor who becomes an agent will get Rs 50,000 as commission for luring a potential donor, one of them revealed, adding, “If such a person is sent abroad, they will get a commission of Rs 1 lakh; but they must have a valid passport. The commission for collecting donors from abroad is transferred directly to the agent’s bank account.”

In the earlier reports of the ongoing organ mafia series, mid-day exposed how criminals made unauthorized changes in the Aadhaar cards of illegal donors to allegedly facilitate operations at the Kolkata-based Apollo Hospital.

Donor dilemmas

Since most of the illegal donors are unskilled laborers, security guards and daily wage workers, they cannot afford to continue this strenuous work. Moreover, a poorly educated illegal donor cannot consider applying for a new job because the name and other details on their Aadhaar card do not match the identity documents issued by the Indian government.

A woman who had no choice but to become an agent for the blackmailers after donating a kidney

“We are helpless! I’ve been weak since the operation. I get anxiety attacks; above all, I had to bear the medical expenses after the operation. I had little money. What can I do?” said an illegal kidney donor. Another said mid-day: ‘I had donated a kidney to repay a loan, but these people did not pay me the amount promised. Consequently, I had no choice but to work for them as an agent to solve my health problems and run my household.

“I have become so weak that I cannot even lift a bucket of water. Moreover, it is unbearable for me to climb stairs. Donating a kidney was the worst decision I made in my life, but I was helpless because my parents in my village were in debt,” he added.

‘Not a simple scam’

The network of these organ traffickers is so complex and tight that only central agencies can unravel the truth, said an illegal donor-turned-agent. “I work as an agent for this organ trafficking gang, not out of choice, but out of helplessness. They framed me in this racket,” said a woman, who initially operated in Hyderabad but now works for the gang in Calcutta.

The illegal donors know each other because they were held together in a remote location pending medical tests and changes to their documents before the operation. “This exposure helps us do work for the gang. We didn’t have cash before. But today we get R50,000 for luring one kidney donor in India and Rs 1 lakh for sending such donors abroad,” said a donor-turned-agent.

Afternoon undercover reporters, who infiltrated the organ trafficker gang by posing as illegal donors, discovered that the crooks are demanding at least Rs 10,000 to restore the original identity of the donors’ Aadhaar card. Heera, the closest confidante of alleged mastermind Wasim Akram, is a key figure in the organ trafficking ring. “After my identity was changed on my own Aadhaar card to facilitate the surgery at the hospital, I contacted

Heera to restore my identity. He demanded Rs 10,000 for this, but I don’t have that kind of money,” said an illegal donor, whose name, age and place of residence were changed, though his biometric data and unique number issued by the government remained untouched.

The modus operandi

The illegal donors-turned-agents have tapped major cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Jaipur. “They visit dialysis centers in their respective towns and cities to prepare a list of patients suffering from kidney disease,” said an illegal donor. “The relatives of these patients will be contacted later. If the relatives agree to pay for a kidney, the medical records are shared with the officers, who post the blood types on Telegram or Facebook,” the donor said.

“Those who are in dire need of money fall into their trap and so the game begins. “If a person with the same blood group agrees to donate a kidney or other vital organs, the officers ask them to share their Aadhaar card and a photo,” he added. “There are many hospitals in India where organ traffickers have joined hands to run this racket discreetly for a huge sum of money. An illegal kidney donor is paid barely Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, but his organ is sold for Rs 35 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. The profits are distributed among the members of the organ mafia,” said another illegal donor.