An investigation triggered by a complaint from a farmer in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district has uncovered a pan-India illegal kidney transplant network involving agents, donors, doctors, and hospitals, with multiple unauthorised transplant surgeries allegedly conducted at a private hospital in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy district, police officials said on Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
The probe, being led by Chandrapur Police, has revealed international links extending to Cambodia and has brought under scrutiny the role of doctors based in Delhi and Tamil Nadu.
According to Chandrapur Superintendent of Police Sudarshan Mummaka, several illegal kidney transplant operations were allegedly carried out at STAR KIMS Hospital, run by Dr Rajarathinam Govindaswamy. Police said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Local Crime Branch (LCB) teams were dispatched to detain two doctors, one in Delhi and another in Trichy, after their names emerged during the investigation.
Complaint by Chandrapur Farmer Led to Racket Exposure
The investigation originated from a complaint filed by Roshan Kude, a farmer from Chandrapur district in Maharashtra, who alleged that he had sold his kidney in Cambodia after falling into a debt trap created by illegal moneylenders. Police said Kude had initially borrowed ₹1 lakh, but due to exorbitant interest rates, the debt escalated to ₹74 lakh. Unable to repay despite selling personal belongings, he decided to sell his kidney.
Through a social media page titled “Kidney Donor Community,” Kude came into contact with a person identified as Krishna, also known as Ramakrishna Sunchu, who allegedly acted as an agent in the kidney trafficking racket. Acting on Krishna’s instructions, Kude travelled to Kolkata and was later taken to Cambodia, where his kidney was surgically removed.
Doctors, Hospital, and Financial Trail
Police said one of the accused, Himanshu Bharadwaj, who acted as a kidney donor, admitted that his kidney was surgically removed by Dr Ravinder Pal Singh from New Delhi, along with Dr Rajarathinam Govindaswamy, Managing Director of STAR KIMS Hospital, Trichy. These claims were corroborated by the statement of another accused, Krishna, and supported by technical and mobile data evidence, police said.
Investigators found that each illegal kidney transplant allegedly involved payments ranging between ₹50 lakh and ₹80 lakh. Of this, Dr Ravinder Pal Singh reportedly received around ₹10 lakh per procedure, while Dr Govindaswamy allegedly charged approximately ₹20 lakh for hospital arrangements and treatment. Krishna, acting as a broker, collected nearly ₹20 lakh per transplant.
In contrast, the actual kidney donors were paid only ₹5-8 lakh, highlighting what police described as severe exploitation of economically vulnerable individuals.
Arrests, Bail, and Ongoing Efforts
Police have so far arrested six moneylenders in connection with the case and invoked offences under Sections 18 and 19 of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994. During transit remand proceedings, Dr Ravinder Pal Singh was granted interim bail by a Delhi court and directed to appear before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Chandrapur on 2 January 2026. Police said efforts were ongoing to arrest Dr Govindaswamy.
Earlier in the probe, the SIT arrested a fake doctor from Solapur, identified as Krishna, who was once a kidney donor himself and later became an agent for the racket. Police said he allegedly facilitated kidney removal for 10-12 people at hospitals in Cambodia and earned commissions from the traffickers.
Tamil Nadu Inquiry Slows Amid Festivities
Two days after Maharashtra Police visited Tamil Nadu on 30 December 2025 to investigate the Trichy angle, progress on the case has been slow, with Tamil Nadu Police citing festivals and holidays. Trichy Police Commissioner N Kamini said officers were preoccupied with the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival and noted that such investigations require coordination across departments, particularly the health department.
Tamil Nadu Health Secretary P Senthilkumar said the department had sought detailed reports from Maharashtra Police and directed district health officials to submit a prima facie inquiry report. The Directorate of Medical Services instructed the Joint Director of Health Services in Trichy to conduct the inquiry. However, officials said the probe would commence only after senior officers returned from leave.
Pattern Echoes Earlier Namakkal Kidney Scandal
The latest revelations come just months after Tamil Nadu witnessed the unravelling of another major kidney trafficking racket in Namakkal district. In that case, a DMK-linked party worker, M Anandan was named as a key broker and later went absconding.
The 2025 scandal placed Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Hospital, multispeciality institution in Tamil Nadu, under intense scrutiny over allegations of illegal organ transplants involving trafficked kidneys from poor women. Investigators alleged that more than 90 women, mostly daily wage earners from Namakkal district, were lured with payments of ₹5-10 lakh and subjected to kidney removal using forged Aadhaar cards and fabricated medical records.
The case drew political attention due to the hospital’s links to DMK MLA Kathiravan, son of the hospital group’s founder, leading to allegations of institutional protection and regulatory evasion. Authorities from the health, revenue, and police departments continue to probe the network, while officials acknowledge that fear, stigma, and social pressure have prevented several victims from coming forward.
Investigators say the Chandrapur–Trichy–Cambodia trail suggests an entrenched, multi-state organ trafficking network exploiting poverty, weak oversight, and regulatory gaps in the transplant ecosystem.
Source: The Hindu
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