Ollur: A mafia involved in kidney trade is reportedly luring housewives in debt trap to donate their organs on the pretext of lending a helping hand. In the past two years, four women in Kozhukully near here in Thrissur district lost their kidneys to this racket as the mafia targets housewives who are desperate to clear debts.
The racket picks homemakers who had availed small loans through the neighborhood self-help groups (Kudumbasree ayalkoottam) whereby women would mutually stand as sureties for taking loans from three to four agencies.
The mafia agent steps in when there is default in repayment and would promise the women Rs 8 lakh each to repay the debt and meet other immediate expenses if they donated their kidneys.
Once a woman gives her consent, she will be asked to sign a lot of documents, and the kidney would be removed at a hospital fixed by the agent. Later, money is handed over to the woman concerned.
The agent would sell the kidney at a much higher rate and the woman would not even know the recipient of her organ. The plight of the Kozhukully housewives came to light following an investigation by the Kidney Care Foundation. It is said a woman sold her kidney even six months ago.
The housewives revealed that the surgeries were done at a private hospital in Kochi.
