Gurgaon kidney racket: Two doctors get 7 years in jail

Three other accused in the kidney sale scam — laboratory technician Manoj Kumar (New Delhi),Mohammed Shahid (Meerut) and Gyasuddin (Ghaziabad) — were awarded five years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs15,000 each.

Five other accused in the case,registered by the CBI on February 8,2008,Jeewan Kumar,Dr Krishen Kumar Aggarwal,Dr Saraj Kumar,Jagdish and Linda were acquitted. The court ordered a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the victims Shahid,Sakil and case witness Babu Ram.

The CBI had told the court that between 1999 and 2008 prime accused Amit and Upender,and their associates were involved in illegal transplantation of human organs (kidneys). They charged hefty amounts from the recipients.

“They would lure poor people on the pretext of giving them employment and later fraudulently remove their kidneys without their consent,” the CBI said.

The CBI chargesheet pointed out that the kidneys were removed “through surgical operation without authorisation from the competent authority for huge monetary consideration”.

The CBI submitted that “Accused Amit Kumar and his associates were clandestinely running a hospital equipped with all facilities for conducting kidney transplants at the premises of House No 2374,Sector- 23,at Gurgaon in Haryana in the name and style of M/s Liberty Health Care Ltd (also called Star Max Hospital)”. The CBI said that Amit was promoter-director of the Liberty Health Care Ltd.

While Amit and Upender conduct the surgical procedures,his brother,Dr Jeewan,would assist them. Dr Agarwal,Dr Saraj Kumar worked as anaesthetists.

The accused were also assisted by Manoj Kumar who was working as laboratory technician,while Linda was a nurse and Mohammad Shahid and Gyasuddin worked as touts. While Jeewan,Jagdish,Linda and Saraj are out on bail,the others are in judicial custody.

Charges were framed against all the accused in March last year. Defence counsel,Abhishek Sharma,said that while the court took a stringent view against the prime accused,the others were acquitted “due to the lack of evidence”.