TIRUPATI: A major illegal kidney transplant racket was exposed in Madanapalle after a 29-year-old woman died during a surgical procedure. The deceased was identified as Yamuna, wife of Suri Babu from Madhurawada in Visakhapatnam.
According to police, Yamuna had agreed to donate one of her kidneys to a man from Goa, identified as Ranjan Nayak, after being approached by brokers who promised her Rs 8 lakh in return. She was taken to Global Multi-Speciality Hospital in the SBI Colony area of Madanapalle for the operation.
However, during the surgery, she reportedly suffered seizures, lost consciousness, and died on the operating table. Following her death, the hospital staff and brokers allegedly tried to cover up the incident.
They transported her body in an ambulance to Tirupati and contacted her husband under the pretext of making the promised payment, asking him to remain silent. Sensing foul play, her husband called the police helpline 112 and alerted the Tirupati Police, who immediately informed the Madanapalle Two Town Police.
Acting swiftly, the Madanapalle police detained two doctors—one of them a government doctor and the other a woman doctor in charge of the hospital—and three brokers from Vizag, identified as Pelli Padma, Kakarla Satya, and Venkatesh. Two more local brokers from Punganur and Madanapalle were also taken into custody, bringing the total number of suspects to seven.
Due to the gravity of the case, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mahindar of Madanapalle is personally supervising the investigation.
A special police team has been dispatched to Visakhapatnam to gather more information about the deceased, the brokers, and others involved in the illegal kidney trade.
Preliminary investigations suggest a well-organised network involving middlemen, private doctors, and paramedical staff from government dialysis units, who arranged wealthy recipients and poor donors through brokers.
A case has been formally registered at the Madanapalle Two Town Police Station following the initial complaint received by the Tirupati East Division Police. The investigation is ongoing to uncover the masterminds and possible links to other cities such as Vizag, Goa, and Hyderabad.