New Delhi: A massive kidney trafficking racket operating across multiple Indian states and extending all the way to Cambodia has been busted following the viral video confession of a debt-ridden farmer. The shocking organ trade network reportedly charged as high as ₹80 lakh per kidney, while paying desperate donors only a fraction of the amount.
The Maharashtra police in Chandrapur had been quietly investigating the case for weeks. Their probe eventually led them to senior medical professionals in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, resulting in the arrest of Dr Rajarathnam Govindaswamy of Star Kims Hospital in Trichy and Dr Ravinder Pal Singh from Delhi.
According to police officials, the accused doctors allegedly charged kidney recipients between ₹50 lakh and ₹80 lakh per transplant, while the donors — mostly poor individuals in financial distress — were paid only ₹5 lakh to ₹8 lakh.
How The Racket Was Exposed
The case first came to light last month after Chandrapur farmer Roshan Kude released a viral video confessing that he had sold his kidney in Cambodia for ₹8 lakh to repay his debts. His video sparked outrage and triggered a detailed police investigation.
The probe unveiled an organised syndicate involving middlemen, hospital links and international connections. Among the key agents was Ramkrishna Sunchu, along with the arrested doctors.
Police say donors were trapped through social media, particularly pages like “Kidney Donor Community”, and were then taken to private hospitals in India and Southeast Asia where the illegal surgeries were conducted.
“Far Beyond Local Boundaries”
Chandrapur Superintendent of Police Sudarshan Mummaka revealed that the investigation has now spread across states and countries. Mobile data analysis, digital surveillance and financial trails have exposed a “complex web” connecting agents, donors and specialised medical professionals.
Authorities are now examining multiple bank accounts and digital footprints to track every link in the racket and identify hospitals that may have served as “safe houses” for illicit transplants.
The Cambodian Link
Police further revealed that a fake doctor named Krishna from Solapur played a crucial role as an agent. Shockingly, Krishna himself was once a victim of the racket before turning facilitator. He is believed to have helped send 10–12 people to Cambodia for organ removal in exchange for commission.
Investigators also suspect that several illegal transplants were carried out at the Trichy hospital where Dr Govindaswamy worked.
The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected as authorities expand their crackdown on the international organ trafficking network.