KOCHI: In a startling revelation, the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Iran-based organ-trade racket said the key accused has links to similar groups operating in North and South Korea, where demand for organs is very high and it is easy to traffic them.
Hyderabad-based Bellamkonda Ramaprasad aka Prathapan, the prime accused, was operating these international links, which had generated crores of rupees worth of transactions, a top police source said. Prathapan connected some of the prospective donors from Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada to the Korean rackets, the source said.
Meanwhile, the SIT has added two more charges, of cheating and criminal conspiracy, against Prathapan and two others in police custody — Sabith Nazar and Sajith Shyam. The kingpin, Madhu, a native of Kochi, has also been slapped with these additional charges.
The SIT is also planning to make Shameer, from Thirunellayi, the sole victim of the racket from Kerala, an approver in the case, the source said.
Furthermore, Vaibhav Saxena, Ernakulam Rural police chief and head of the SIT, said that Madhu will be arrested soon. “He is on our radar and will be apprehended soon. He is the only one left in the case who has not been arrested. As per reports, more rackets have been unearthed, but they don’t have Kerala links,” he told TNIE. A chargesheet in the case can be submitted at any time. But we are gathering every piece of evidence to make our case foolproof and to brings the culprit to justice, he added.
During his interrogation, Shameer revealed that the plan to harvest his kidney was formulated during an online meeting between him and Prathapan on April 19, said Saxena. “Shameer travelled along with Sabith to Iran on April 23. They had flown in via Thailand and Muscat. The surgery was carried out on May 3 and Shameer was discharged two days later. Shameer returned to Delhi after two weeks,” the SIT chief said.
“The accused contacted Shameer through social media while in hiding. They even urged him to post a video on social media stating that he still had two kidneys,” said Saxena, adding that this was an attempt to interrupt the investigation. “Shameer had large debts which was made worse by online gambling. This forced him to approach the racket,” he added.