Odisha kidney sale racket : Police arrest three ‘collaborators’

Reported by Santosh Jagdev

Bhubaneswar, Jun 2:

The Commissionerate Police in Odisha on Sunday arrested three persons -including the husband of the kingpin of the racket- for their alleged involvement in the sale of kidney by one Namita Nayak, wife of Umakanta Nayak of Nayak Sahi under Manglabag police limits in Cuttack.

The police action came after Umakant lodged a complaint with the local police about how his wife was duped into selling her kidney by the kidney sale racket that has been targeting poor families by promising them them a hefty sum in exchange for kidney.

Two of the three, identified as Niranjan Parida and Jagabandhu Lenka, ‘collaborated’ with Sarmistha Nayak, who has already been arrested for her involvement in the earlier kidney sale case.

The third arrested person, Dilip Nayak, happens to be Sarmistha’s husband.

All three have been booked under sections 120 (B), 342, 468, 471, 34 of IPC and section-19 of the transplantation of human organs and tissues Act, 1994.

Sources in the Commissionerate  revealed that one Mohan Charan Lenka of Palasuni under Mancheswar police limits in Khurda district was suffering from kidney-related disease and badly needed a transplant. His brother Jagabandhu and one of his friends Niranjan started looking for a person who would agree to ‘donate’ a kidney in exchange of money.

In the process they came in contact with Sarmistha, the kingpin of ongoing kidney racket of Nayak Sahi,  who assured to arrange a kidney donor for them in exchange of Rs 7 lakh. Subsequently, Sarmistha managed to hook Namita Nayak, wife of Umakanta, by promising  the couple Rs 10 lakh for the  kidney, police sources informed.

On the other hand Sarmistha also instructed Niranjan and Jagabandhu to make arrangement for Mohan’s kidney transplant  operation at the Seven Hills Hospital in Visakhapatnam while preparing forged a voter identity card for Namita , in which she was shown to be Banita Lenka, wife of Mohan Lenka.

After all the required documents required for the for kidney transplantation were forged and ready, Namita and her husband were taken to Vishakhapatnam where former’s kidney was removed on April 3 this year in the Seven Hills hospital.

According to reports, Sarmistha had collected Rs 1 lakh as advance and another Rs 6 lakh later from Mohan’s family to pay the kidney donor. But she paid only Rs 45,000 to the Nayak couple as advance and when the Nayak couple insisted on full payment before the operation, she agreed to pay Rs 3 lakh. But since the deal was for Rs 10 lakh, they did not agree. However, Sarmistha managed to convince them that the payment would come only after the operation.

The promised money never reached the Nayak couple post operation and that explains why Umakant ultimately lodged a complaint with the police..

A police team has been deputed to Visakhapatnam for further investigation.

Sarmistha Nayak, the key player, who is now in jail will be brought under police remand for further interrogation in the matter, police sources said.