Kochi: In a major breakthrough in the organ trade fraud case in Kochi, the Ernakulam Rural Police on Sunday arrested the alleged mastermind behind the racket, Mohammed Najeeb Kallatra, a native of Kasaragod, following an intensive manhunt that stretched from Kerala to the Delhi National Capital Region.

Najeeb, who is accused of orchestrating an illegal organ trade network using forged government and medical documents, was detained from a relative’s residence near the Delhi-Ghaziabad border after narrowly escaping police surveillance at a hotel in Delhi. The hunt was led by the Kunnathunad Sub-Inspector. The team had tracked the accused using mobile phone signals and call records.

“Initially, the team traced his mobile location to a hotel in Delhi. However, by the time officers reached the place, he had already fled,” a senior police officer said. “Later, based on the call records, our team traced him to the house of one of his relatives near the Ghaziabad border and detained him. He will be produced before a Magistrate in Delhi to obtain a transit warrant to bring him to Kochi,” the officer added.

The police said the Kerala team received tactical assistance from the Delhi Police during the operation. They expect to bring Najeeb to Kochi by air on Monday.

The police have identified Najeeb as the key accused in the case. They suspect the racket allegedly exploited financially vulnerable individuals under the guise of medical tourism and illegal organ donation arrangements. According to the police, the network operated through a firm run by Najeeb and his wife, Rasheeda.

The probe has revealed that the accused arranged organ donors and recipients in exchange for large sums of money while fabricating documents to bypass legal scrutiny governing organ transplants. The police said the syndicate created forged “Altruism Certificates” to falsely portray donors as close relatives of recipients, a key requirement under transplant regulations.

During the investigation, officers recovered forged letterheads, seals and signatures of several elected representatives, including MPs and MLAs such as Hibi Eden, K Radhakrishnan, KP Mohanan, Daleema, etc. The police also uncovered fabricated recommendation letters and verification certificates allegedly issued in the names of senior police officials, including the Ambalappuzha DySP and the Kunnamkulam ACP.

In addition, police seized blank forged letterpads bearing the names of major Kochi-based hospitals. 

The racket also allegedly produced fake Aadhaar cards and forged marriage certificates through local digital studios, including Sun Communications and Sign HD Digital Studio, police said. With Najeeb’s arrest, the total number of accused persons taken into custody in the case has risen to five.

Earlier, police had arrested Najeeb’s wife, Rasheeda, after investigators found evidence of her alleged involvement in coordinating the operation. Three others - Sunny Varghese, Sini Varghese, and Sanoj KP - who allegedly operated the DTP centres where forged documents were prepared, are also in custody.

“Further details about the case and the full extent of the fraud will become clear only after a detailed interrogation of Najeeb. We are also investigating whether more persons are involved in the racket,” police sources said.

The Ernakulam Rural Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a DySP to investigate the interstate and possible international links of the syndicate. While the case has currently been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to forgery and fraud, the Directorate of Medical Education is also expected to conduct a parallel inquiry to determine how many illegal organ transplants may have been carried out through the network.