Dera Bassi hospital performs 35 kidney transplants in 2 years, all under scanner

While 11 transplant surgeries were conducted in 2021, 17 were conducted in 2022 and another seven until March 7 this year

Digging deeper into the organ transplant scam at a private hospital in Dera Bassi, the special investigation team (SIT) of Mohali police has found that the hospital conducted 35 transplants in a little over two years.

Complaint by Sirsa resident, who was not paid the promised ₹10 lakh for his kidney, spurs Mohali police into action. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

While 11 transplant surgeries were conducted in 2021, 17 were conducted in 2022 and another seven until March 7 this year.

The SIT has initiated a probe to trace the antecedents of the donors and recipients of these transplants conducted at Indus International Hospital, Dera Bassi, a 500-bed facility spread over 3.5 acres on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway.

Cops are also investigating whether any similar complaint had surfaced before.

Police had formed the SIT on Sunday following a complaint by a 28-year-old man, Kapil Kumar from Sirsa, Haryana, who accused the hospital’s transplant coordinator, Abhishek, of not paying him the promised ₹10 lakh in lieu of his kidney. The deputy commissioner has also launched a parallel inquiry into the matter.

Subsequently, Abhishek and a tout, Raj Narayan, were arrested on March 19. Currently, they are under judicial custody.

As per the probe so far, Abhishek was allegedly involved in preparing forged documents to present the complainant as the son of the kidney transplant recipient.

The three-member SIT probing the scam comprises superintendent of police (Rural) Navreet Singh Virk, ASP Darpan Ahluwalia and Dera Bassi SHO Jaskanwal Singh.

Giving details, ASP Ahluwalia said a case under Sections 419 (cheating by personation), 465 (forgery), 467(forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged 1[document or electronic record]) and 120 (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and Sections 19 and 20 of the Transplantation of Human Organ Act (THOA), was registered on March 18.

Transplant guidelines not followed: ASP

Ahluwalia said as per THOA, approval was needed from three types of committees before performing any transplant.

“First is a state-level committee, second is the hospital-based authorisation committee, where approval is sought from the Directorate of Research and Medical Education, Punjab, and the third is competent committee from the hospital performing the transplant, headed by the hospital director, in this case Dr SS Bedi. The organ donations can only be conducted among blood relatives, whereas for all other transplants, approval is sought from competent authorities. However, during the preliminary probe, we found that these guidelines were not followed properly at Indus hospital,” said Ahluwalia.

On the hospital’s part, medical director Dr SS Bedi said all procedures were duly followed.

“First, we need a statement from the sarpanch, then attestation from the executive magistrate and Aadhaar card with father name, along with voter identification card and in-camera statement where the donor testifies the relationship with the recipient and an undertaking that he/she is not donating the organ in lieu of money. We have learnt about this matter only from the police and the transplant coordinator has been arrested.”

Hospital coordinator, touts targeted needy people

Investigators said hospital’s transplant coordinator Abhishek is in cahoots with a huge network of touts led by Raj Narayan from Uttar Pradesh. The touts look for needy people and persuade them to donate organs in lieu of ₹4-5 lakh. Once they find a matching recipient in need of an organ, they prepare fake documents required for the transplant. Police are probing how the touts prepared fake Aadhaar cards and other documents.

In the current case, the complainant, Kapil Kumar, who is under a debt of ₹7 lakh, came in touch with the gang and a deal for ₹10 lakh in exchange of his kidney was made. The recipient was Sonepat resident Satish Tayal, 53.

Kapil has alleged that after the transplant, the gang paid him only ₹4.5 lakh and also did not provide him post-transplant care. Feeling cheated, he narrated the matter at the 112 police helpline, from where the complaint was further referred to Zirakpur police and an SIT was formed. Kapil has claimed that Abhishek even threatened him.