Bengal woman’s kidney sold off in lieu of dowry

The incident took place when appendicitis patient Rita Sarkar was taken by her husband Biswajit Sarkar to a private nursing home in Kolkata two years ago when she complained of acute stomach ache.

KOLKATA: A 28-year-old woman’s kidney was allegedly sold off by her husband and in-laws to a merchant in Chhattisgarh after her family failed to meet their demand of a dowry of Rs 2 lakh.

The incident took place when appendicitis patient Rita Sarkar was taken by her husband Biswajit Sarkar to a private nursing home in Kolkata two years ago when she complained of acute stomach ache.

However, even after claimed removal of appendix, the pain persisted and even increased. Rita was taken by her parents to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri three months ago where doctors revealed that her right kidney was missing. Shocked by the revelation, the victim rechecked at a nursing home in Malda who confirmed that she had only one kidney.

Angered by this, the victim filed a complaint at Farakka police station in Malda district after which police recently arrested the victim’s husband Biswajit Sarkar, a cloth merchant at Lalgola in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, and his brother Shyamal Sarkar. Bularani Sarkar, mother-in-law of the victim, is on the run.

“My husband had warned me not to disclose anything about the surgery in Kolkata to anyone. Now, I understand why he forbade me to reveal anything. He and his family tortured me during the past 12 years of marriage for dowry and when my family failed to meet their demands, they sold my kidney,” she said.

The accused have been charged under Section 19 (punishment for commercial dealings of human organs) and Section 21 (offences by companies involved in any such act) of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act and Section 307 (attempt to murder) and Section 498 (detaining a married woman with criminal intent) of the Indian Penal Code.

Police sources stated that the accused have admitted that the kidney was sold off to a merchant in Chhattisgarh and the police are preparing to raid the private nursing home in Kolkata where the operation was undertaken. They also fear that a kidney smuggling racket was behind the surgery.

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