Kerala organ trade forgery racket mastermind arrested in UP

Kochi: In a major breakthrough, Ernakulam Rural police on Sunday arrested the alleged kingpin behind a forgery racket linked to illegal organ trade operations. The accused, Mohammed Najeeb, 53, a resident of Peringala in Kunnathunad and a native of Kalanad in Kasaragod, was arrested from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh following a special operation by the police. A special investigation team led by Ernakulam Rural district police chief K S Sudarshan tracked down Najeeb after he allegedly went into hiding upon learning about the police probe. According to police, he switched off his mobile phones and fled to Delhi by air before moving to Ghaziabad. Ernakulam Rural police have registered multiple FIRs in connection with the racket. According to an FIR registered by Vadakkekara police, Najeeb, named as the first accused, was operating a medical tourism firm called Kallatharas Medical Tourism Pvt Ltd.Police said records seized during the investigation indicated that forged documents were used to facilitate organ donations. Seized records included discharge summaries from a prominent private hospital in the city, as well as govt documents that had previously rejected permission for organ donationAccording to investigators, the medical tourism firm functioned as an intermediary, arranging treatment and healthcare services for patients from other states and foreign countries in association with prominent hospitals in Kerala. Sources said police have begun to examine the role of hospitals linked to the establishment.Police are currently verifying records of patients connected to the alleged network and examining documents seized during multiple raids conducted as part of the investigation. According to police, the organ donation process involves extensive verification procedures for both donors and recipients, including certificates issued by authorities. Investigators allege that the accused forged many of these documents to secure approvals.Police said the racket identified financially vulnerable individuals willing to donate organs and then fabricated consent forms, affidavits, certificates and recommendation letters using forged letterheads of MLAs, MPs, senior police officers and hospitals. Medical reports and laboratory records were also allegedly falsified. Fake letters were further created to obtain police clearance certificates (PCCs) in the names of kidney donors.