By IANS
New Delhi/Gurgaon : Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss Tuesday sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the multi-million-rupee illegal kidney transplant racket involving many doctors and top hospitals of five states.
“It is an unfortunate incident and a black spot on the medical profession. We have sought a CBI inquiry into the illegal kidney transplant racket,” Ramadoss told reporters in the capital.
“The organ transplant act will be amended before the upcoming budget session. We have invited suggestions from people in general and experts in particular on how to make the act more effective and stringent. We are going to make a provision for a stronger punishment, which would not be less than seven years,” he added.
At present, the punishment for illegal organ transplant ranges from five months to six years.
The Gurgaon police Tuesday detained the wife and in-laws of Jeewan Kumar, one of the doctors accused in the racket and brother of kingpin Amit Kumar alias Santosh Rameshwar Raut, and were questioning them about his whereabouts.
“We are presently questioning them about the functioning of the entire racket and if they were directly or indirectly involved in it,” a police officer investigating the case told IANS.
The illegal kidney racket was unearthed when the police from Uttar Pradesh and Gurgaon jointly raided a three-storey residential house in Sector-23 and a guesthouse in DLF area of Gurgaon.
The police have arrested Upendra Kumar, a doctor, and four others for allegedly running the racket with three other doctors identified as Amit, Jeewan Kumar and Saraj Kumar. The three are absconding since the racked was busted.
On Monday, Gurgaon Police Commissioner Mahender Lal said Amit was suspected to have left the country through illegal channels and might be hiding in Nepal.
The police have also written to the government for a red corner notice, which is an Interpol alert, against him and doctor Jeewan.