Kidney kingpin has network of overseas touts

The man who masterminded a massive illegal kidney transplant ring in India was catering to international clients through agents in countries as far apart as in the Gulf, North America and Europe, reveal police officials.
Amit Kumar alias Santosh Rameshwar Raut, whose flourishing racket was busted last month in Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi, has left an investigation trail that is leading to several countries. Amit Kumar, himself, was making frequent trips from Canada - where his family lives - to India only to conduct transplant operations, say police.
"His network was well spread in some foreign countries. Till now, the names of a few people in Turkey, Greece and Ireland have surfaced in the investigations. We are trying to identify them," a senior police official told IANS.

"His touts used to place advertisements related to medical tourism in the papers of their respective countries. The advertisements offered lucrative deals or packages that included medical expanses, travel charges and accommodation charges," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official said clients who were in dire need of a kidney and could shell out any amount contacted Amit Kumar's agents there.
The touts after consulting Amit Kumar - ironically not a qualified surgeon - used to provide his e-mail ID to prospective clients from Canada, the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece.
Gurgaon Police Commissioner Mahender Lal revealed they had come to know of at least 48 such pending requisitions by foreign clients.
The illegal kidney racket was unearthed Jan 24 after Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Police jointly swooped down on two premises in Gurgaon, an emerging IT hub.
Police had then arrested Upendra Aggarwal, a general physician, and four others for their key involvement in the scam. But kingpin Amit Kumar, his brother Jeewan and Saraj escaped from police clutches after a tip-off about possible arrests.
Amit Kumar is suspected to be in Nepal or Canada.
"After taking his clients' medical reports, doctor Amit Kumar consulted his accomplices and asked his clients to fly down to India on a tourist visa. The arrested accused in their interrogations disclosed that the clients were asked to fly only on tourist visas, without giving a possible hint to the authorities about the clandestine racket," the official said.
"Amit himself was staying in Canada as he is suspected to be carrying a permanent visa of the country. He only flew to India to conduct surgeries, though he was not qualified to do so. His trips were frequent," the official added.
Gurgaon police chief Lal said: "Amit and his accomplices have performed at least 500-600 kidney transplants in the past decade.
"He was charging them a mammoth amount, clearly knowing that patients could shell out any amount to buy one kidney as such transplants are very expensive in their countries or are illegal," Lal added.
The official suspected that Amit Kumar even tried to use his overseas clients as his touts.
"We have also come to know that he was promising his clients a hefty commission to win him more clients, but the facts are still being verified."
Police are still probing if Amit Kumar, dubbed "Doctor Horror", had floated a website to contact his clients.
"Though there are reports that Amit was running a website, we haven't come across any such internet site. Investigations in this regard are under way," Lal said.
(Sahil Makkar can be contacted at sahil.m@ians.in)
Indo-Asian News Service