Kochi, June 18 (IANS). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken major action in Kerala against the alleged international organ trafficking network. On Thursday, the agency conducted raids at five places in Kochi, including private hospitals and houses of suspected middlemen.
ED teams reached several places simultaneously on Thursday morning and started the investigation. Apart from the corporate hospital in Kochi, searches were conducted at about five places across the state. In Kollam, the agency raided the house of a woman, who is suspected to be a middleman linked to this racket.
Searches were also conducted at the houses of other accused, including a resident of Kasaragod. He was arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police last month.
ED is examining financial transactions, digital records, invoices and other documents found during the searches to trace the alleged money trail. The agency suspects that huge commissions were charged at different stages of the organ transplant process.
The agency reportedly discovered that the network connected donors and recipients and facilitated initial medical screening. This network allegedly took commission in this process. The agency is investigating whether the money received from such transactions reached the accounts linked to the accused.
ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case was registered following allegations that an organ trafficking network made illegal earnings through financial transactions related to transplant procedures. The investigation is also focusing on documents that were allegedly used to facilitate organ transplant procedures.
The agency is also probing claims that fake hospital letterheads, police clearance certificates and recommendation letters with fake signatures of public representatives and senior officials were prepared and used. Besides, the ED is trying to find out how such documents allegedly passed the verification process in a medical field with stringent regulations like organ transplantation.
–IANS
DCH/