What began as a viral infection in his cows soon pushed a dairy farmer in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur into a cycle of debt, threats and assault that allegedly forced him to approach an illegal organ sale racket and even take up a job in Laos, where he was coerced into working under inhuman conditions for months until he was rescued.
The Chandrapur police Tuesday registered a case and arrested six people after Roshan Shivdas Kule, 36, a resident of Mithur village in Nagbhid, alleged that he had to sell his kidney abroad to repay loans taken from them.
Kule alleged that he was harassed and beaten for several years by the moneylenders over pending dues. As per the complaint, he paid a total of Rs 48.53 lakh to the accused for an aggregate loan of Rs 12.25 lakh taken from four accused between February 2021 and April 2022.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Mummaka Sudarshan, Superintendent of Police (SP), Chandrapur, said an investigation is underway. “Many aspects, especially relating to the kidney extraction, are yet to be verified and will require a detailed probe. We expect to get clearer leads within a week,” he said.
“The complainant had accumulated a large debt due to the exorbitant interest rates. He allegedly travelled to Cambodia in October 2024 for the kidney surgery and approached the police only recently, claiming that the moneylenders were still pressuring him to repay the loan,” the SP said.
According to a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) obtained by The Indian Express, Kule told the police that he was running a dairy business in 2021, when his 12 cows were hit by a viral infection. He spent all his savings on their treatment, but the cows died, pushing him into a financial crisis.
According to the complaint, Kule borrowed Rs 1 lakh from the main accused, Manish Purushottam Ghatbandhe in February 2021 at a high interest rate. When Kule failed to repay the money on time, he was allegedly assaulted.
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To manage the pressure, he borrowed money from five more people linked to Ghatbandhe. Others named in the complaint are Kishor Bawankule, Laxman Urkude, Pradip Bawankule, Sanjay Ballarpure, and Satyavan Borkar, all from Bramhapuri. However, this only made his situation worse. Kule claimed that even after repaying huge amounts, the accused kept demanding more money. In total, around Rs 48.53 lakh was forcibly recovered from him, the complainant said.
In a statement to the police, Kule said that under extreme pressure, he sold his left kidney in Cambodia to repay the loans. The accused also allegedly forced the transfer of his father’s agricultural land and took away tractor-related documents.
In the wake of the complaint, the police booked six accused under serious sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 387 (putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion), 342 (wrongful confinement), 294 (obscene acts), 506 (criminal intimidation), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and under sections 39 and 44 of the Maharashtra Money Lending (Regulation) Act. They have been taken into custody.
Began with a Rs 1 lakh loan at 20% interest
According to the eight-page complaint, Kule stated that after his cows were affected by Lumpy Skin Disease in 2021, he spent about Rs 40,000 on their treatment before running out of money. He then borrowed Rs 1 lakh at a high interest rate of 20 per cent from Ghatbandhe in February 2021, agreeing to repay it within 15 days.
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Kule said that he repaid Rs 15,000, but when he failed to clear the remaining amount on time, the accused abused and assaulted him and imposed heavy interest and a daily penalty of Rs 5,000. Under fear, his father took bank loans, portions of which were handed over to the accused. However, the demands continued, forcing Kule to borrow more money from other moneylenders at higher interest rates.
Based on the detailed timeline provided in the complaint, the total principal amount taken from the accused is Rs 12.25 lakh. The initial loan of Rs 1 lakh was taken in February 2021 from Manish Ghatbandhe. The second loan of Rs 1 lakh was taken in June 2021 from Kishor Bawankule after Ghatbandhe claimed an outstanding balance and directed the applicant to borrow this amount from Bawankule.
The third loan of Rs 2 lakh was taken in August 2021 from Laxman Urkude. This was taken in cash to pay off Kishor, following his threats. The fourth loan of Rs 50,000 was availed of in September 2021 from Pradip Bawankule to repay Urkude.
The fifth loan of Rs 2,35,000 was taken in two parts — Rs 1 lakh on October 4 and Rs 1.35 lakh on October 29 – from Kishor to repay outstanding debts to Urkude. The sixth loan of Rs 3 lakh was taken in January 2022 from Manish Ghatbandhe. This was given in cash at his office on January 5 after forcing the applicant to sign a land sale agreement. The money was immediately used to repay Kishor.
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The seventh loan of Rs 2.4 lakh was taken in April 2022 from Pradip to pay a demand of Rs 6 lakh made by Ghatbandhe. While the complaint listed a total of six accused, the written complaint only attributed specific loans to four of them.
The complaint states that despite repaying several lakhs by taking loans in the names of family members, borrowing from relatives, pledging gold, and even selling land and a tractor, the accused kept claiming fresh dues. Kule alleged that he was repeatedly threatened, illegally confined and forced to sign land-related documents. Despite making multiple payments through cash and bank transfers between 2022 and 2023, the harassment allegedly continued, with the accused demanding more money and threatening his family.
Kidney extraction in Cambodia
Out of despair, Kule decided to sell his left kidney. He claims in the written complaint that he looked up the process online and contacted a Dr Krishna in Chennai. Thereafter, Dr Krishna sent a ticket for the Gitanjali Express from Nagpur to Kolkata to his mobile number via WhatsApp. In Kolkata, Dr Krishna’s representative met Kule at the railway station and took him to a pathology lab to test his blood samples and perform a full body checkup.
After the checkup, he was taken by flight to Phnom Penh in Cambodia and admitted to a hospital there for the procedure. After a complete medical checkup at that hospital, the kidney removal surgery was performed on October 14, 2024, the complaint stated. Thereafter, he was discharged on October 26, 2024. He later reached Thiruvananthapuram airport by flight, and returned to his village.
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Trapped in Laos
The complainant further stated that despite undergoing the surgery, he continued to take up any work he could find to support his family, even at the cost of his health. However, as his financial situation did not improve, he contacted an agent whose contact details he found online. The agent promised him employment abroad. Acting on his instructions, Kule travelled to Kolkata again and from there flew via Bangkok and Vientiane to Bokeo city in Southeast Asia’s Laos.
He alleged that after reaching Bokeo, he was employed at a place known as the Golden Triangle, where he was forced to work under inhuman conditions and was exploited. When he tried to contact the agent for help, the agent allegedly seized his passport and threatened that he would not be allowed to leave and would be made to work there for the remainder of his life, the complaint stated.
Employment fraud, in which agents cheat prospective job seekers by promising lucrative jobs abroad, is common in many parts of the country despite regular advisories issued by the Centre and various state governments.
Kule further said that in a state of fear, he contacted Bramhapuri MLA and former Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar through a WhatsApp call and sought help to return to India. Acting on the request, Wadettiwar reportedly approached the Indian Embassy and shared the necessary details, following which legal steps were initiated. Kule was subsequently rescued with the help of local authorities and brought back to his native village, the complaint stated.
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The Indian Express reached out to Nilesh Harle, the private secretary of Wadettiwar, who confirmed that Kule had contacted them around July during the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra legislature. Harle had coordinated the arrangements for Kule’s return from Laos. He had also narrated the ordeal to Wadettiwar and the politician had helped in whatever manner he could after Kule’s return, the secretary informed.
Police intervention, then a viral video
SP Sudarshan said that the complainant had initially approached the police with a grievance dating back to February 2021, when he had borrowed money for the treatment of his cattle. However, he was hesitant to file a formal complaint. He said the police had sought details on how the money was borrowed, explaining that allegations of exorbitant interest alone are not sufficient to initiate action unless supported by evidence. The local police station was instructed to collect whatever proof the complainant could provide.
He said that when the complainant was asked for further details, the man claimed that he had sold his kidney. The police then sought clarification on where the surgery was performed and in which hospital and other related details, as illegal organ sale is a serious offence, for which he did not provide a satisfactory explanation. “The complainant was asked to submit relevant documents, but he did not return to the police station,” the SP added.
“At that stage, it appeared that he was more interested in getting his money back rather than filing a formal complaint,” an officer said, adding that this often becomes a hurdle in such cases.
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Sources with the police said that instead of filing a complaint, Kule first spoke to a local digital portal, recorded a video and made the allegations public. He also mentioned that he had sold his kidney for Rs 8 lakh. The video went viral, after which the police contacted him again and insisted that he file a formal complaint. During questioning, the complainant initially gave inconsistent details about where the kidney was sold, first mentioning Chennai and later other places. However, after questioning, he produced some proof of money transfers made to the accused.
The SP said the complainant was finally convinced to lodge a complaint, following which the process of registering an FIR was initiated. During verification, the police found a copy of his passport bearing an immigration stamp from Cambodia, indicating that he had travelled there.
SP Sudarshan said the complainant is yet to disclose how he travelled to Cambodia. “We cannot press him to such an extent that he stops cooperating. He will first be sent for medical tests, including a sonography, to confirm the status of his kidneys and formally document it,” he said, adding that the complainant has now been summoned to his office.
Sudarshan said separate teams will be formed to investigate the alleged kidney racket. “This aspect will be investigated on priority to find out how he travelled abroad and whether he was under pressure,” the officer said.
