A housewife from Kochi has exposed the dark underbelly of an organ trafficking racket. The woman, who had donated her kidney under the persuasion of the racket, faced severe abuse when she asked for the promised payment.
According to a statement, the woman was tortured and sexually assaulted in a locked lodge room after she demanded the money that was agreed upon. The ordeal lasted several days. The victim was employed at the hospital now embroiled in the controversy over organ donation practices.
She reportedly lost her job after raising complaints about the racket. In her statement to the TV channel, she claimed that the hospital management demanded she apologize to the organ trafficking racket to regain her employment.
The woman, who donated her kidney under the racket’s persuasion, faced horrific consequences when she asked for the promised payment.
Further, in an interview, the victim revealed that the perpetrator took compromising photos of her and threatened to circulate them, jeopardising her peaceful family life. Additionally, he threatened to contact her employers to ensure she lost her job.
The woman recounted that when she demanded the agreed-upon payment, she was instructed to meet the perpetrator at a lodge. Upon her arrival, she found him consuming alcohol. He forced her to join him in drinking, and when she refused, he poured alcohol into her mouth. Following this, she was sexually abused.
The victim, who was employed at the hospital now at the center of the organ donation controversy, lost her job after raising complaints about the racket. She claims the hospital management demanded she apologize to the organ traffickers to be reinstated.
The woman, who donated her kidney under the racket’s persuasion, disclosed that the members of the racket coached her on what to tell officials to obtain permission for organ donation. She was promised Rs 8 lakhs for her kidney but received only Rs 3.5 lakhs. When she demanded the remaining amount, she faced threats, torture, and sexual assault.
She recounted how the perpetrator, upon her demand for payment, lured her to a lodge where he was consuming alcohol. He forced her to drink alcohol, and when she refused, he poured it into her mouth before sexually abusing her. The perpetrator also took compromising photos of her and threatened to circulate them, jeopardising her family life and employment. He warned her that pursuing legal action would only land her in more trouble.
The housewife revealed that the racket exploited her financial crisis, instructing her to lie to officials by claiming she was a close relative or domestic help of the recipient. She was trained on what to say in the hospital and police station to avoid suspicion. She mentioned knowing at least 12 other donors coerced into similar situations, noting that many poor families in her community have members with only one kidney due to financial desperation.
They coach donors on what to say to officials and prepare fake documents to falsely declare the recipient as a relative. After the donor receives part of the payment before surgery, the racket evades the remaining payment, threatening that receiving the full amount would attract the authorities’ attention.
In another distressing case, a 29-year-old woman from Kannur has filed a complaint against her husband and a middleman for coercing her into donating her kidney. She reported that her husband repeatedly beat and forced her to agree to the donation. The victim, fearing for her life, stated that the racket would be responsible if anything happened to her.
These revelations highlight a growing and alarming trend of organ trafficking, where vulnerable individuals are most brutally exploited. The fear of “fake brain deaths” facilitating illegal organ donations further compounds public concern.
This case is part of a broader issue, following recent reports of organ trafficking to Iran, and has sparked outrage and calls for a thorough investigation into the hospital’s practices and the organ donation system in Kochi. She said the kingpin of the racket is a looter.
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