KOCHI: The Kochi City police special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged organ trafficking racket has widened its investigation amid suspicions that fake Kerala identities were created for people from other states to facilitate illegal organ transplants.
Investigators suspect the alleged kingpin, Najeeb, and his associates used forged and manipulated documents — including ration cards, residential certificates, and relationship records — to secure approvals for organ transplantation and bypass safeguards meant to prevent commercial organ trade. The Ernakulam District Court on Monday granted five-day custody of Najeeb and his wife Rasheeda to the SIT for detailed interrogation. Senior police officials said the questioning was expected to reveal how the racket identified local residents willing to help create fake identities for organ donors and recipients from outside Kerala.
The latest breakthrough in the investigation came with the arrest of Maya M (48), a resident of Kottayam, on May 22. Police found that Maya helped the racket by including an unrelated person in her ration card as her sibling to facilitate illegal transplantation procedures.
Investigators also found that the person added to her ration card was allegedly a native of Mumbai, and efforts are under way to trace him. Police suspect the move was part of a larger attempt to create fake proof of familial ties or Kerala residence for transplant approvals.
The arrest has provided investigators fresh insight into the methods allegedly used by the racket to bypass scrutiny during the transplantation approval process. Police suspect several others may have similarly allowed outsiders to be included in their ration cards or identity documents in exchange for money.
“There may be many people like Maya who included names suggested by Najeeb in their ration cards for quick financial gains. But it is a serious offense. The custodial interrogation of Najeeb is expected to reveal the full extent of the network,” a senior police officer associated with the probe said.
“The investigation is now focused on identifying beneficiaries from outside Kerala who allegedly used forged residential and relationship documents for transplantation procedures. We are examining whether similar documents were created in multiple cases using the same network,” another senior officer said. So far, seven persons have been arrested in connection with the racket.
Earlier searches conducted by the police had led to the seizure of fake seals, forged documents, and counterfeit letterheads resembling those of MPs, MLAs, and police officers from a flat near Peringala in Kunnathunad. Police suspect forged police letterheads may have been used to create altruism certificates — documents issued by senior police officers to certify that an organ donation is voluntary and free of financial consideration.
“The network relied on middlemen and financially vulnerable people to generate residential proof in Kerala for outsiders seeking organ transplants. Such people would be used to generate genuine residential or relationship records. But for difficult certifications like altruism certificates, forged letterheads were allegedly used. The arrest of Maya has strengthened this suspicion,” a source familiar with the investigation said.
Senior officers said investigators had identified nearly 40 persons who allegedly used the services of Najeeb’s network for organ transplantation procedures. Police believe the ongoing custodial interrogation of Najeeb and Rasheeda could expose a wider interstate network involving middlemen, forged identities, and illegal financial transactions.
