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Odisha man visits hospital after being hit by truck, doctors allegedly steal his organs
The man's family says they found surgery marks on the abdomen even though the victim had suffered head injuries.
A Odisha man, who died after being hit by a mini truck, went to a private hospital in Cuttack for treatment. He died at the hospital three days later. The 44-year-old's family alleges that the doctors stole his organs during the treatment. The family says they found surgery marks on the abdomen even though the victim had suffered head injuries.
“We suspected that the hospital authorities might have removed some of my father's organs," the victim's son told news agency PTI.
Babula Digal, a businessman, suffered head injuries after being hit by a mini-truck loaded with iron roads on October 13, while he along with his wife and son was going towards Rampur on a motorcycle. He was declared dead by doctors at a hospital in Cuttack on October 16.
The family's concerns arose when they discovered surgery marks on Digal's abdomen, despite him being treated only for head injuries.
The hospital authorities had handed over the body to the family members of the deceased without conducting any post-mortem examination and did not inform the local police station in Cuttack about his death, cops said.
The family buried his body in a burial ground at Tikarabaju under the Kandhamal district’s Baliguda Police Station limits on October 17, the police said.
Also read: Man strangles wife, keeps body in fridge to portray it as natural death
Investigation Underway
The Odisha Police have launched a probe into the allegations and conducted a post-mortem examination on Digal's body, which was exhumed from a burial ground in Tikarabaju. Baliguda Police Station inspector-in-charge Sushant Sahu stated, "We are also investigating the allegation of the deceased’s son about organ theft. All details will be known only after getting the post-mortem report."
Hospital Denies Allegations
The private hospital in Cuttack has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that their doctors performed a decompressive craniectomy, a neurosurgical procedure, on Digal. Hospital manager Susanta Behera assured that the family was informed about Digal's condition during treatment.
Also read: 3 Raj hospitals under lens for 184 illegal organ transplants last year
Government Response
Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling has ordered a departmental inquiry into the allegations, promising strong action if anyone is found guilty.
Meanwhile, a team of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police visited the private hospital in Cuttack for an investigation following the complaint in Kandhamal.
