Published : 20 Jul 2023, 07:24 PM
Updated : 20 Jul 2023, 07:52 PM
The leader of a kidney trafficking ring was himself cheated out of money after he sold a kidney, the Rapid Action Battalion said after the arrest of five members of the cartel.
They were arrested in raids in parts of Dhaka, including Bhatara, on Wednesday, RAB-1 Commander Lt Col Mostaq Ahmed said at a media briefing on Thursday.
The detainees have been identified as Anisur Rahman, Ariful Islam Rajib, Salauddin Tuhin, Saiful Islam, and Enamul Hossain.
Anisur led the group and Saiful is the owner of a travel agency, the RAB said.
Anisur hails from Tangail, Rajib from Pirojpur, while the rest are from Chandpur.
In 2019, Anisur went to India and sold one of his kidneys after he was lured there by a broker.
Anisur claims that he was paid much less than the amount the client was charged for the kidney.
According to the RAB, Anisur started the trafficking ring himself after noting the huge demand for kidney transplant patients in India and forging relationships with those involved in the black market business.
"Anisur started finding wealthy clients who needed kidney donations online or through local brokers from different areas. He then arranged for donors to be sent, legally and illegally, to India by air or road since 2019,” Lt Col Mostaq said.
During the arrests, the RAB team also recovered fake certificates for kidney donors and recipients, passports, ATM cards, Indian rupees, and Bangladeshi taka.
Lt Col Mostaq said that if the kidney recipient was rich, they would charge as much as Tk 5 million per kidney, but the donor was only paid Tk 500,000-Tk 600,000.
The criminals on the Indian side would receive half of the remaining money, while Anisur kept most of the rest.
The RAB officer said that the gang has bought and sold the kidneys of about 50 people so far.
“They used to target people living below the poverty line in remote areas and lured them with promises of money. They would also set traps by telling them about free treatment for the sick,” he said.
The gang worked in several teams, with one group communicating with wealthy patients through various means, including social media. Another group spoke to people in need.
The second group, led by travel agent owner Saiful, ferried patients to India. They also forged fake documents in the name of diagnostic centres.
RAB also said Anisur supervised the whole operation, including money transactions, from Dhaka.
Asked if the group was involved in the reported kidney buying and selling at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, the RAB officer said that no connections had been found between those reports and the detainees.
