The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Trafficking in human organs suspected

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 27, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Trafficking in human organs suspected

By Vikram Sharma

HYDERABAD, MARCH 26. As the State Government machinery woke up to the fact that Andhra Pradesh tops the list in girls/women trafficking in the country, another disturbing factor that has come to the fore recently is the trafficking of people for human organs.

The State police say they have received certain inputs that suggest trafficking for human organs has been going on in some parts the State.

This issue also came up for discussion during a recent workshop held at the Director General of Police's office to discuss the role of police and NGO in trafficking of women to other parts of the country.

No complaint lodged

Some police officials pointed out that there was information that people from the State were being trafficked for their organs. However, no specific complaint had been received so far.

"There is certain information on trafficking going on for human organs within the State, but we have not received any specific complaint on it," said a senior police official on the condition of anonymity.

He says that after the sensational kidney racket was busted in the city a few years ago, there was a vague information that some tribals had sold parts of their body in a few hospitals in Delhi. "The demand is more for organs like liver, pancreas and cornea and the trade runs into several lakhs of rupees," the police official says adding that such incidents do not come in the pen easily.

Babies' bodies found

Members of an NGO working towards anti-trafficking of womenpointed out that speculation was rife about people were being trafficked for organs, during the period when the child adoption racket came to the fore. "During that period a few dead bodies of babies were found in an area in Tandur. The cornea and some other parts of the body was missing which made us believe that organ trade has been going on," the members said.

"Though we have not come across any specific case, we are sure that this kind of trafficking is going on," the members said while stating that it was the joint responsibility of the NGOs and the police to work on the information and catch the culprits.

Police officials said that trafficking for human organs was going on in Mumbai and Bangalore.

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