The Hindu : New Delhi News : Another doctor in kidney racket surrenders

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Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008
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Another doctor in kidney racket surrenders

Staff Reporter

CBI seeks his custody for interrogation

Three other accused in the case produced in Gurgaon court by Moradabad police
The CBI has constituted seven teams to conduct raids

NEW DELHI: An anaesthesiologist wanted in the multi-crore kidney transplant racket case surrendered before a Gurgaon court on Monday. While the court sent him to one-day judicial remand, the Central Bureau of Investigation has sought his custody for interrogation.

A resident of Shahdara in Delhi, Dr. Saraj Kovid went missing when the Moradabad police raided the alleged kingpin Amit Kumar’s Gurgaon clandestine operation theatre on January 24. During interrogation, another doctor arrested during the first round of raids, Upender, purportedly disclosed that Dr. Saraj was also involved in conducting illegal kidney transplants.

Subsequently raids were mounted at his Delhi residence and other suspected hideouts, but he managed to evade arrest. After he surrendered on Monday, the CBI moved an application in the court seeking his custody as he is an important link in the chain involving the racket. The court will hear the agency’s plea on Tuesday.

In another development, three other accused in the case -- Dr. Upender and two alleged agents, Gyasuddin of Meerut and Jagdish of Ballabgarh -- were produced in a Gurgaon court by the Moradabad police on the basis of production warrants filed by the Gurgaon police. The CBI asked the court for their custody for interrogation. Considering the plea, the court sent the accused to CBI custody till February 25. With this, the case registered by the Moradabad police has also been taken over by the premier investigating agency.

The CBI plans to confront the three accused with Dr. Kumar to corroborate the revelations made by them. Dr. Upender is understood to have revealed to the Moradabad police Dr. Kumar’s links with bureaucrats and politicians as also about his VIP clients. The agency on Monday took Dr. Kumar to some places in Gurgaon to find out about the hospitals and properties he had invested in and also the places where illegal kidney transplants were carried out at his instance.

The CBI has constituted seven teams to conduct raids. Accompanied by forensic scientists, the teams have so far mounted raids at six places including Dr. Kumar’s residence, nursing home and the guest houses in Gurgaon where he had made arrangements for the stay of his clients and the kidney donors.

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