Kochi: As the investigation into the organ trade racket busted in Ernakulam Rural police limits continues, the SIT have uncovered a sophisticated organ trafficking network that systematically bypassed government safeguards through large-scale document forgery.

The SIT now suspects that more than 20 illegal organ transplants were facilitated by the racket, led by the alleged mastermind Mohammed Najeeb Kallatra (53), with the District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural), K S Sudarshan, confirming that all surgeries connected to the seized documents were carried out within Kerala.

The investigation reached a turning point with the arrest of Najeeb, a resident of Kasaragod, who was arrested from Ghaziabad in Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border. His arrest is expected to provide further revelations as he enters police custody today. According to SP Sudarshan, the racket’s success relied on a brazen ability to manufacture legitimacy. Under Indian law, organ donations are strictly permitted only between close relatives or on verified altruistic grounds. To bypass this, the syndicate allegedly forged records to establish fake familial links between donors and recipients.

“In most cases, the accused allegedly forged certificates to portray donors and recipients as relatives. In other cases, forged altruism certificates purportedly issued by police officers were used,” Sudarshan said. The police are now investigating the possibility of international connections, focusing on Najeeb’s foreign travel history. There is also a strong possibility that human trafficking charges will be invoked. “If there was an organised effort to procure kidneys, then human trafficking provisions could also be attracted,” Sudarshan said.

The police pointed out that a similar case was registered earlier this year, when the Ernakulam Rural police invoked trafficking charges against another racket accused of arranging illegal organ transplants in Iran.

Police sources said the syndicate operated with alarming sophistication. The accused allegedly forged seals, signatures and official records, including fake credentials of tehsildars, village officers, doctors and police personnel. They also created counterfeit letterheads in the names of MPs and MLAs to obtain “official” recommendations for altruism certificates.

The operation reportedly functioned under the guise of legitimacy through a company named Kallatras Medical Tourism Pvt. Ltd. at Edathala in Aluva, operated by Najeeb and his wife Rasheeda, who was arrested earlier. The firm claimed to provide legal consultancy, charitable services and organ donation awareness programmes.

The police suspect the company’s website was used to identify potential organ donors and recipients. The office, functioning from a small room in Edathala, has already been raided.

The police suspect that agents linked to the network were stationed at major hospitals to identify patients in urgent need of transplants, while others targeted financially distressed individuals willing to donate organs for money. “In many cases, people from financially distressed backgrounds were willing to take the risk. Existing donors are believed to have introduced others to the network,” Sudarshan said, adding that the network expanded through word-of-mouth referrals.

The financial disparity between what was paid to donors and what was charged from the recipients highlights the predatory nature of the syndicate. The police said that while the donors received between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh, Najeeb collected amounts ranging from ₹20-25 lakh from the recipients for the transplants.

Najeeb allegedly utilised various bank accounts to move these funds, pocketing a substantial share as commission. His financial transactions are also now under the police scanner. Upon completion of the investigation, a detailed report will be submitted to the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) to outline necessary safeguards to prevent the state's healthcare system from being exploited by similar forgery rackets in the future.

Meanwhile, Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar confirmed that a state-level coordination team has been formed to oversee the case. A critical part of the upcoming probe will determine if the surgeries were conducted with the knowledge of the hospitals involved.