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Blood-for-cash racket busted: Labourers, addicts targeted by Bareilly blood bank staff, 4 held
The operation was allegedly run with the help of two sanitation workers employed at the IMA Blood Bank
The Bareilly police unearthed a racket that involved the illegal sale of blood extracted from poor labourers and drug addicts in exchange for food and paltry sums of money. The operation was allegedly run with the help of two sanitation workers employed at the IMA Blood Bank, who exploited desperate families of patients needing urgent blood transfusions.
Superintendent of police (city), Manush Pareek, confirmed the arrests of four men. Those arrested include Abhay and Vineet, both sanitation workers at the IMA Blood Bank, along with their accomplices Premnath, a resident of Tarikhana in Azamnagar, and Dheerendra Sharma of Indiranagar in Premnagar.
According to Pareek, the gang had been operating for quite some time outside the IMA Blood Bank. When a patient’s attendants failed to find voluntary donors, the employees—Abhay and Vineet Kumar—would approach them and offer a “solution” by connecting them to Premnath and Dheerendra. These two would then arrange poor or addicted individuals willing to donate blood in exchange for food items and a small cash payment.
The blood, once obtained, would be sold to the patients’ attendants for sums ranging between ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 depending on their financial condition. The profits were split among the four accused.
The blood bank management, suspecting illegal activities, discreetly alerted the police. Acting on the tip-off, the Kotwali police deployed informers and raided the premises early on Monday morning, arresting all four accused near the blood bank.
The accused, Abhay and Vineet, both residents of Lal Fatak in the Cantt area, are believed to be the key operators. They allegedly tampered with the blood screening process to ensure even blood drawn from addicts could pass quality checks. Police are now investigating how deep their syndicate runs and whether more insiders are involved.
This is not the first time such a racket has surfaced. Last year, a man was arrested for negotiating blood sales from daily-wage labourers. He admitted to paying them as little as ₹2,000 per unit, pocketing the rest of the money from patient families.
Premnath, a high school dropout, used to run a juice cart outside the EPFO office near IMA. He met Abhay and Vineet through regular interactions. After learning about the profits in blood trading, he began arranging donors from impoverished backgrounds.
Dheerendra Sharma, a graduate who previously worked in courier services, was similarly lured into the trade by Abhay and Vineet. He too began sourcing drug addicts and poor individuals, selling their blood at high prices to desperate families.
Police are currently examining the mobile phones of all four accused to determine the extent of their operation. Investigators are tracking how many people donated blood, which patient families received it, and who else might be part of the racket.
“The investigation is ongoing. We will identify and arrest anyone else found linked to this illegal operation,” SP City Pareek said.
