GUNTUR: Days after an illegal kidney transplantation racket was unearthed in Visakhapatnam, a similar case came to light in Guntur during the Public Grievance Redressal System meeting held here on Monday.
During the programme, the victim of the alleged racket, G Madhu Babu of KVP Colony, informed the Guntur SP that he was promised Rs 30 lakh for ‘donating’ his kidney, but was paid only Rs 1.10 lakh.
According to information reaching here, Madhu had taken hefty loans from various mobile application and local financiers. He could not repay them as his business had collapsed.
It was during this time that Madhu came across a post on Facebook stating that people can make money by ‘donating’ their kidney. Despite knowing that selling organs is illegal, Madhu decided to contact the person who published the post on the social media platform as he was under a lot of pressure to clear his debts.
One Bhasha from Vijayawada contacted Madhu and told him that he had also donated his kidney and had received money as promised.
Bhasha then introduced Madhu to Venkatesh, brother-in-law of the person in need of the kidney, and a doctor, working in a private hospital in Vijayawada.
Since last November, he visited the hospital frequently for tests and met the family of the patient, who gave him money in small amounts to cover travel costs and medical tests.
“Before the surgery, I was given Rs 50,000 in cash. I was told that the full amount would be paid after surgery. I agreed to the proposal as I thought the money would help clear all my debts and ensure a better future for my children,” Madhu said.
The transplant was performed at a hospital in Vijayawada on June 15. Madhu Babu’s name and address were changed on his Aadhaar card and other identity cards so that it would appear as though he was ‘donating’ his kidney as a relative of the patient.
After the surgery, Bhasha refused to pay the full amount, stating that Madhu had donated his kidney to a friend so he cannot ask for money.
Additionally, the victim also accused the doctors of taking his right kidney instead of the left one as agreed before the surgery.
Requesting the police help him, he said, “Now I’m unable to do any work as my health has been severely affected. I’m uncertain about my well-being.” Further, he informed the police that 10 more people have been lured into the illegal kidney transplantation racket.
SP Tushar Dudi instructed the Nagarampalem police to collect all details and launch a probe.
