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It takes a kidney: Woman running organ smuggling racket sold her own, say police
Chandana Guria, who was nabbed from Howrah in a joint operation by Dehradun and Howrah police on Saturday, is allegedly a part of an inter-state kidney smuggling racket that was busted by the Uttarakhand Police in 2017.
A 44-year-old woman arrested for her alleged involvement in an inter-state kidney smuggling racket had sold her own kidney before joining the racket, police said on Monday.
Chandana Guria, who hails from West Bengal’s Howrah, was nabbed from Jagacha area in Howrah in a joint operation by Dehradun and Howrah police on Saturday.
She was allegedly a part of the inter-state kidney smuggling racket that was busted by Uttarakhand Police in 2017. So far, 13 accused, including Guria, have been arrested in connection with the case.
“During interrogation it was found that before joining this racket, she had sold her own kidney,” senior superintendent of police, Dehradun, Nivedita Kukreti said.
“More details would be found once she reaches Dehradun and undergoes a thorough interrogation,” said Kukreti.
Superintendent of police, Dehradun (rural), Sarita Dobhal said, “Dehradun police were after her ever since she was named by one of the arrested accused.”
“It was found that Guria was a tout in the racket who, after trapping the victims for kidney removal surgery in a nursing home in Dehradun, handed them over to a handler and another arrested accused in Dehradun, named Javed.”
“One of the accused doctor from Dehradun is still absconding and a manhunt is on to nab him,” she said.
Another police official, privy to investigations, said, “Guria and a Kolkata-based doctor used to run a clinic named Wellness Centre in Jagacha area of Howrah. The doctor, who is absconding, used to treat people with kidney ailments during which he used to suggest a kidney transplant and then offer the same at less cost at a nursing home in Dehradun and Haridwar.”
“Guria and the racket have wrongfully removed kidneys of about 70 people which they used to then sell at a price of about ₹40-45 lakh in the black market,” he said on condition of anonymity.
Guria was taken into transit remand of five days by Dehradun police after being produced before a magistrate in West Bengal.
