Money laundering in organ trade: ED raids five hospitals, seizes records of recent transplants across Kerala

KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a massive state-wide crackdown on an interstate organ trafficking syndicate, executing simultaneous raids across nine locations in Kerala, including five premier private hospitals. The central agency’s probe focuses on a sophisticated money laundering network that allegedly used forged high-level government documents to bypass legal transplant protocols.

Highly placed sources indicate that investigators have uncovered a substantial financial trail linking a prominent private hospital in Kochi directly to the bank account of the racket's suspected mastermind and chief coordinator, Muhammad Najeeb Kallatra.

Multi-district crackdown

The national agency’s operation spanned several districts, targeting three private hospitals in Kochi, and one each in Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam. ED officials spent over ten hours searching Najeeb’s residence in Kalanad, Kasaragod, where he operates 'Kallatras Medical Tourism.' During the raid, investigators summoned Najeeb’s brothers and close relatives for questioning. The agency’s scrutiny is heavily focused on Najeeb’s banking records, recent property acquisitions, and his network of local handlers. A significant cache of electronic devices and incriminating financial documents was seized for forensic analysis.

Following intelligence extracted during Najeeb's initial interrogation, the ED expanded its search operations to Ernakulam and Kollam:

• Ernakulam: Raids were conducted at a photocopying and printing establishment in Pallikkara owned by an individual named Sunny, suspected of being the hub where forged certificates were manufactured.
• Kollam: The residences of two alleged local agents, Sreeja (Kallumthazham) and Sudheer (Vadakkevila), were searched in a swift 90-minute operation. Both agents are currently out on bail following an earlier local police probe.

Forged MP seals and exploitation

The local police had previously cracked down on the network, arresting more than ten individuals, including Najeeb and his wife. That initial investigation revealed that the syndicate went to extreme lengths to fabricate legitimacy, manufacturing counterfeit seals and letterheads of Members of Parliament (MPs) to forge the mandatory clearance certificates required for organ donations.

Modus Operandi of the Syndicate

The racket systematically preys on socio-economically marginalised individuals, luring them with promises of substantial payouts to solve their financial distress. Concurrently, the network charges affluent patients desperate for organ transplants exorbitant fees. Once the surgeries are cleared via forged paperwork and completed at private facilities, the cash-strapped donors are given only a nominal fraction of the agreed-upon amount, while the bulk of the profits is channelled back to Najeeb and his institutional accomplices.