VIJAYAWADA: The two recent incidents, where mediators indulged in kidney transplantation using fake certificates for obtaining Family Members Certificate (FMCs) and No Objection Certificates (NOCs), have created a flutter in the city. However, the alerted revenue officials and police concerned busted their illegal operation before the organ transplantation and reportedly arrested four persons in connection with the two incidents.
As part of the investigation, the police reportedly sent teams to various hospitals in the city and its surroundings to collect the details of kidney and other organ transplantation surgeries performed in the last six months to verify the details and irregularities, if any.
On July 26, Bhavanipuram police received a complaint from West zone tahsildar K Lakshmi alleging that a woman approached her and applied for FMC by submitting fake certificates of a person who claimed to be her brother.
“The details furnished by her proved to be fake and approached the police who arrested the woman and her associates. A probe into the incident revealed that the woman was in serious need of money and was approached by a woman who acted as a mediator. The woman identified as Lakshmi alias Bangari is a resident of Bhavanipuram and earlier worked in a city-based private hospital while the details of her partner Karthik are yet to be ascertained. Having previous experience in the field of medicine, she promised the kidney donor of giving Rs 5 lakh for kidney transplantation. When Tahsildar noticed irregularities, the duo went on large,” said police.
Surprisingly, another such case was reported at Bhavanipuram police station where the police identified the accused behind the illegal practices as Karthik and Lakshmi.
“In both cases, both Karthik and Lakshmi were identified as the mastermind behind it. Suspecting that the two accused might have performed kidney transplantation to innocent people luring them with money ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, special teams were formed. We are verifying all the information pertaining to the surgeries to identify the role of the duo,” said a senior official on the condition of anonymity. Another team is investigating the network of Karthik and Lakshmi to bust their operations further, he added.