Kerala kidney racket: TN, Kerala Police teams take one Salem native in custody

Chennai, May 30 (IANS) A joint investigation team of Kerala and Tamil Nadu Police are in Salem for further investigation into the Kerala kidney racket. The team has taken into custody a Salem native considered to be associated with the main accused in the case, Sabith Nasar from Kerala.

Tamil Nadu Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already taken into custody three persons from Coimbatore and Pollachi with regard to the case.

The SIT of Kerala Police have been in Tamil Nadu for the past few days after the main conduits in the racket, Sabith Nasar and Sajith Shyam revealed of the involvement of certain Tamil Nadu-based persons during interrogation.

Salem was in the news in 2015 when a leading nephrologist associated with a few leading private hospitals in the region was arrested for around 80 illegal kidney transplants. Tamil Nadu intelligence has tipped off the state police team that some doctors and middlemen based out of Salem are involved in the Kerala kidney racket as well.

The Tamil Nadu SIT have also provided information to the Kerala team and a joint investigation is on in Salem.

Meanwhile, Kerala Police is also trying to deport an Aluva native, Madhu, from Iran, considered to be one of the main middlemen in the kidney racket based out of Iran.

The Kerala kidney racket came out in the public domain after Sabith Nasar was arrested at the Nedumbassery International Airport in Kochi on May 19 upon his return from Iran.

The arrest was following a tip-off from Central intelligence agencies who have been tracing regular movementsof Sabith to Iran and other west Asian countries.