Thiruvananthapuram, 02 July (H.S.): The Kerala government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe an alleged organised organ trafficking network and the large-scale fabrication of forged documents used to facilitate illegal transplant procedures across the state.

The SIT has been formed on the directions of Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and will be headed by Ernakulam Rural Superintendent of Police K.S. Sudarshan. The decision follows a statewide crackdown by the police that uncovered what investigators describe as a well-organised racket involving forged identity documents, fake recommendation letters and illegal intermediaries.

As part of the operation, police registered three criminal cases and arrested four key accused, including the alleged kingpin of the racket, Mohammed Najeeb, his wife Rasheeda, and two associates, Sinoj and Asif. Investigators also seized forged letterheads purportedly belonging to several public representatives, including Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), which are suspected to have been used to create fake documents for illegal activities.

Police teams simultaneously conducted raids at establishments allegedly involved in preparing forged documents and are examining digital records, printing equipment and other materials recovered during the searches.

Preliminary investigations have also revealed that unauthorised organ transplant surgeries were allegedly carried out at some leading private hospitals in Ernakulam using forged documentation and fraudulent claims regarding donor-recipient relationships. Officials suspect that fake identity papers and fabricated consent documents were used to bypass legal safeguards governing organ transplantation.

Describing the matter as extremely serious, the Home Department ordered the formation of the SIT under an officer of Superintendent of Police rank to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the entire network, identify all those involved and determine whether similar illegal transplant operations were carried out elsewhere in the state.

The investigation will examine the role of middlemen, document forgers, medical institutions and any other individuals or organisations that may have facilitated the alleged illegal organ trade. Further arrests are expected as the probe progresses.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman