On Monday, police apprehended a 34-year-old man named Rohit Tiwari from Hardoi, who is believed to be the mastermind behind a kidney transplant racket operating in Kanpur. Tiwari, a Class XII graduate, was allegedly posing as a doctor while coordinating with members of a syndicate, hospitals, donors, and transplant recipients. His arrest came after authorities placed a bounty of Rs 25,000 on him.
According to police reports, Tiwari was responsible for managing the entire operation, which included arranging medical professionals for transplant surgeries and misleading victims about his qualifications. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to having facilitated over 30 transplant operations.
Deputy Commissioner of Police for Kanpur, S. M. Qasim Abidi, stated, “Rohit is considered to be the leader of this illicit network, as every participant in the syndicate maintained contact with him.” Tiwari disclosed that he had been part of this operation since 2018 and had previously worked at a hospital in Meerut before getting involved with the syndicate.
During his questioning, Tiwari revealed information about a team based in Meerut that he would bring to Kanpur for conducting transplant surgeries across various hospitals. This team reportedly included individuals such as Vaibhav Mudgal, Dr. Ali, and Afzal, all of whom are currently wanted by the police. Efforts are underway to locate and apprehend them.
According to the DCP, “It was found that Dr. Ali performed the surgeries while the others assisted him.” Tiwari also indicated that he determined the locations for the procedures and selected the hospitals for each case.
Authorities noted that Tiwari’s mobile phone, which remains unaccounted for, is expected to contain vital evidence regarding the extent of the racket and its wider connections. Police are preparing to request his remand for further investigation.
Shivam Agarwal, a 32-year-old ambulance operator, was identified as Tiwari’s main associate and is thought to have played a significant role in managing local operations of the racket.
This illicit network was uncovered two weeks ago when police arrested six individuals, including five doctors. The investigation began after law enforcement received tips regarding illegal transplant activities, leading to coordinated raids by police and health department officials at three medical facilities in the Kalyanpur-Rawatpur region on March 29 and 30.
Authorities suspect that kidneys were procured from economically disadvantaged individuals for prices ranging from Rs 5-6 lakh, only to be sold to recipients for amounts between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 1 crore.
The arrested individuals include Dr. Surjeet Singh Ahuja (54), Dr. Preeti Ahuja (50), Dr. Rajesh Kumar (44), Dr. Ram Prakash (40), Dr. Narendra Singh (35), and Shivam Agarwal. The latter is accused of acting as a middleman, connecting potential donors to the doctors. In addition, three more individuals, including two operation theater technicians, have been arrested in connection with this investigation.
During their inquiry, officers discovered that the hospital operated by the Ahuja couple was allegedly a site for conducting kidney transplants. Initial evidence suggests that approximately seven to eight illegal transplants may have occurred at this facility.
In response to the findings, Kanpur Police have reached out to the Chief Medical Officers of four districts—Meerut, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, and Kanpur—to verify the status of hospitals identified during the investigation. Authorities have pinpointed nearly a dozen hospitals across these four districts that may have direct or indirect links to the network.
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