NIA charge sheets four people involved in international organ trade racket in guise of medical tourism

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday charge sheeted four accused in a Nedumbassery (Kerala) trans-national organ trade racket in the guise of medical tourism, an official statement said.

The accused were involved in inducing gullible youth into donating their organs for money and trafficking the same to foreign nations as part of a major illegal organ trade racket, it said.

They would identify prospective organ donors in India to exploit them by inducing and offering them money through agents and through social media, as per the NIA investigations.

The gang also approached the Indian patients in need of transplantation and charged around Rs 50 lakh from them to facilitate their organ transplantation in Iran, said the statement issued by the NIA.

The donors and recipients were made to believe that organ trade is legal in Iran, it said.

The investigations further revealed that the accused had forged documents, including seals and signatures of various offices and officers of the government, to facilitate their illegal organ trading, the statement said.

While three of the accused, identified as Sabith Korukulath Nasar, Sajith Shyam, Bellamkonda Ram Prasad, have been arrested, the fourth, Madhu Jayakumar, is absconding, it said.

All four have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) before a special NIA court in Ernakulam (Kerala), an official said.

The NIA, which had taken over the case on July 3, 2024 from the Nedumbassery Police, is continuing with its investigation.