KOCHI: The special investigation team (SIT) of the Kochi city police probing the illegal organ trafficking case suspects that a spa in Alappuzha was used as a cover to facilitate the racket’s operations in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.
The police arrested Debin Joseph, an alleged middleman in the racket, from the spa on Thursday. Investigators said Debin is also a partner in the establishment and is suspected to be a close aide of Najeeb, the alleged kingpin of the racket.
According to the police, the spa’s customers were allegedly used to identify people facing financial difficulties and persuade them to become organ donors for money. Senior police officers said details regarding how Debin allegedly used the spa to identify vulnerable persons could not be disclosed at this stage of the investigation.
Police sources said the investigators are now checking whether Debin had links with other organ trafficking networks as well. “The spa was a major cover used by Debin to identify financially vulnerable donors. We are also checking whether he, apart from arranging donors for Najeeb, operated independently. A detailed probe will reveal more details,” Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said.
An officer associated with the investigation said Debin allegedly charged around Rs 20 lakh in each donor deal and received a commission of nearly Rs 5 lakh. “We suspect Debin was one of the middlemen used by Najeeb. We are probing how the operation was carried out after identifying vulnerable persons and how the details were communicated to Najeeb,” the officer said. The police said financial transactions and properties linked to Debin and the other accused are also under investigation.