Chennai doc held for kidney racket in Mumbai

Chennai: Chennai is in the news in connection with another kidney racket.

A Chennai-based doctor has been arrested in Mumbai for his alleged involvement in a kidney racket. Police suspect he may be just one link in a large international network.

Mumbai police have arrested Dr P Ravichandran, of the St Thomas Hospital.

Ravichandran allegedly lured people into donating kidneys, which were then sold to recipients in the Gulf for a huge profit. Police suspect he is part of a huge international ring.

Mumbai Police JCP-Crime Rakesh Maria says, “The kidney racket is not only happening in India but also in Nepal, Myanmar, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.”

Ravichandran's undoing though turned out to be a donor he tried to cheat. While he was promised Rs 4 lakh, the donor only received only Rs 25,000. And he went straight to the cops. Police say Ravichandran used to remove the donors' kidneys at hospitals in Chennai.

Hospital authorities deny any knowledge of this issue but say that the operation theatre was regularly hired out to the doctor in question and this, they say, is a common practice in Chennai hospitals.

This is not the first kidney racket with links to Chennai. Earlier this year, it was discovered that Tsunami victims were being lured into donating their kidneys for paltry sums.

The Tamil Nadu police meanwhile has referred the Ravichandran case to the Health Department for further investigations.

Police suspect the doctor may be just one link in a large international network.