Rs 4,500 for 1 unit: Action at last after HIV horror, blood brokerage ring busted in Madhya Pradesh; 3 arrested

BHOPAL: Jolted out of inertia two days after the HIV infection of six Thalassaemic children from suspected contaminated blood transfusion at a government hospital came to light, the Satna district administration initiated action against an illegal blood brokerage ring, arresting three brokers operating around the district hospital. However, officials conceded that tracing the donors responsible for the infected blood could prove to be a herculean task.

The arrests have exposed a long-running and loosely regulated blood supply chain that, sources say, had been functioning for years in and around the district hospital. Several units of blood were allegedly being arranged every day for patients, sourced from different blood banks and hospitals through middlemen operating openly near the hospital premises.

Investigators say the biggest challenge now is tracing the donors. Records maintained by several blood banks lack complete addresses, phone numbers or verifiable identity details. With blood sourced from multiple facilities over a long period, identifying which donor supplied which unit — and whether any were HIV-positive — has become a daunting exercise for the multiple probe teams constituted by the state government.

After the HIV infections came to light, the administration moved to choke the supply chain at the ground level. On Thursday, SDM (City) Rahul Siladia led a sting operation with police support to target blood brokers active around the district hospital.

Officials said the brokers agreed to arrange a unit of blood for Rs 4,500, highlighting how blood was being illegally procured and sold to desperate families. Acting on repeated complaints from patients' relatives, Siladia reached the district hospital police station around 1 pm and chalked out a plan with City Kotwali TI Rawendra Dwivedi.

A dummy buyer was deployed after currency notes were arranged and their serial numbers recorded. The decoy was sent to shops outside the hospital while police teams kept watch. Investigators found that small vendors acted as the first link in the chain — the dummy buyer was first directed by a betel leaf seller to a fruit vendor, who promised to arrange blood for the agreed amount.

After collecting the money, the decoy returned to the broker, carrying a concealed recording device. Police moved in soon after and arrested Rajneesh Sahu of Jaitwara. The marked currency notes were recovered from him, confirming the transaction.

Based on leads during the operation, police arrested Mohammad Kaif from near the hospital. Further questioning revealed that blood brokerage was also taking place inside the hospital premises. Acting on this input, a team entered the hospital and detained Anil Gupta, taking the total number of arrests to three.

Officials said complaints about blood brokerage had been coming in for several days, but the HIV cases forced immediate action. Police said the accused had been active around the hospital for a long time. Investigators are now examining whether the brokers sourced blood from specific banks, whether screening norms were bypassed, and whether any hospital or blood bank staff were complicit.

Meanwhile, officials directly connected with the case have begun avoiding detailed media statements, citing that the matter is being examined at the highest level. "The issue is under review at senior levels, and further comments will be made at an appropriate time," a senior official said.

Meanwhile, in a major political fallout to the suspected contaminated blood transfusion, the Congress launched protests over the incident on Thursday, accusing the administration of negligence that put the lives of vulnerable children at risk. Party leaders and workers staged demonstrations in Satna, demanding accountability and strict action against those responsible. The Congress also sought a high-level inquiry into the blood transfusion system and compensation for the affected families.