Pan-India kidney racket busted: Delhi doctor arrested, Trichy doctor on the run; Cambodia–China links under SIT scanner

CHANDRAPUR: Two specialist doctors — Dr Ravinder Pal Singh of Delhi and Dr Rajratnam Govindswamy of Trichy, Tamil Nadu — have been named by Chandrapur police in a pan-India kidney trafficking racket with international links straddling Cambodia and China.

The organ trade was busted by a special investigation team (SIT) set up by the Maharashtra govt, following a complaint by a debt-ridden farmer of Minthur village, Roshan Kule, who was forced to sell his kidney in Cambodia to stave off loan sharks.

Chandrapur superintendent of police Mummaka Sudarshan said the investigation uncovered illegal kidney transplants carried out in India and abroad. Several alleged surgeries were performed at STAR KIMS Hospital in Trichy, pointing to a well-organised network of agents, donors, doctors and hospitals.

The police official said, Dr Ravinder Pal Singh and Dr Govindswamy, MD of STAR KIMS Hospital, Trichy, played a key role in identifying donors through intermediaries and conducting illegal kidney transplants. Chandrapur SP Sudarshan said the findings emerged after sustained interrogation of arrested intermediaries — fake doctor Krishna alias Ramakrishna Sunchu and Himanshu Bharadwaj — and analysis of mobile and technical data. The syndicate operated through a wide network of agents, donors, hospitals and medical professionals across multiple states, the SP said.

Bharadwaj, who initially became a kidney donor before acting as an intermediary, confessed that his kidney was surgically removed by Dr Singh and Dr Govindswamy at Trichy's STAR KIMS Hospital, said police. Also, Bharadwaj's statement was corroborated by co-accused Sunchu and supported by technical evidence. Investigators further claimed that multiple illegal kidney transplants were conducted at the same hospital. Bharadwaj's transplant reportedly took place on July 23, 2024.

Police teams were dispatched to Delhi and Trichy to arrest the accused doctors. Dr Ravinder Pal Singh was arrested in Delhi, produced before a local court for transit remand, but was granted interim bail after the Maharashtra team's flight was cancelled. Dr Singh was directed to appear before chief judicial magistrate, Chandrapur, on January 2. The Trichy doctor is on the run and efforts are on to arrest him, said Sudarshan.

The SP maintained all four accused have been booked under Sections 18 and 19 of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, adding that further investigation is ongoing to identify other accomplices, financial backers and cross-border logistics involved in the kidney racket.

Kidney transplant priced between ₹50L and ₹80L

Investigations revealed that every kidney transplant was priced between ₹50 lakh and ₹80 lakh. According to the financial trail uncovered by police, Dr Ravinder Pal Singh, who travelled to Trichy to perform the surgeries, allegedly received about ₹10 lakh per transplant.

Dr Rajratnam Govindaswamy reportedly charged nearly ₹20 lakh for treatment and hospital arrangements at STAR KIMS Hospital, while handler Sunchu collected around ₹20 lakh for arranging donors and coordinating their transfer to the hospital.

The kidney donors were paid only ₹5-8 lakh, said Sudarshan, adding most financial transactions, including payments to donors, intermediaries, hospitals and doctors were routed through hawala channels.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy New Year wishes, messages, and quotes !