Dr Amit wanted to shift base to Nepal

Kidney 'kingpin' Amit Kumar had strong connections in Nepal and was all set to invest in a hospital in Kathmandu.

Within hours of his arrest, Nepal Police officials found that Amit Kumar had been to Nepal three times during the last one year and has seven associates in the Himalayan Nation, all of whom are absconding.

"He (Amit Kumar) wanted to start a hospital for kidney transplants," Upendra Kanta Aryal, SSP of KMPCD said, adding that his brother Jeevan Kumar was specially assigned for the Nepal project.

Jeevan Kumar reportedly got in touch with Pankaj Jha from Sunsari district in southeastern Nepal to start the new kidney transplant hospital in Kathmandu.

Jha is a partner in a private nursing home in north Kathmandu.

But the police refused to name the hospital. "We will not be able to name the hospital now as it will affect our investigation process," Aryal said.

The Kumar brothers wanted to shift their base to Kathmandu as they thought that it would be much easier to handle international clients (recipients) in Nepal.

Moreover, the gang had been luring a lot of people from Nepal to Gurgaon to sell their kidneys.

The police were now trying to establish the links between Amit Kumar's kidney smuggling racket and Hokse, a remote and poor village in Kavre district. Nearly 100 people of the village had sold their kidneys during the last couple of years.

In October 2007, Yashpal Sharma (Amit Kumar's accountant) wanted to buy Badrinath Guest House in Gangabu area in Kathmandu to set up a hospital.

After all, the business was lucrative in Nepal. It is estimated that during the last two years, more than 100 people from different parts of Nepal may have sold their kidneys to Amit.

While the deal was finalized at Rs (Nepali) 1 million, the plan of buying the old guesthouse was dropped after Amit Kumar inspected it. "They did not find the building to be safe for such illegal operations," the Nepal Police claimed.

Along with his associate Pankaj Jha, the kidney doctor had been frequently visiting the casinos in Nepal, the police officials claimed.