Kochi: Days after the Ernakulam Rural Police busted the alleged organ trafficking and forgery racket operating in Kochi and arrested prime accused Mohammad Najeeb from Ghaziabad on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, the Kochi City Police have now moved to intensify the probe, with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) preparing to seek his custody for further questioning.

Najeeb, who had allegedly been absconding for weeks after evading arrest, was tracked down and arrested by the Ernakulam Rural Police from his hideout in Ghaziabad. He was subsequently brought to Kerala and interrogated in custody as part of the Rural Police investigation into the organ trade network.

After the expiry of the custody period granted to the Ernakulam Rural Police, Najeeb was produced before a court on Monday and remanded into judicial custody. Sources said the SIT constituted by the Kochi City Police will soon file a custody application to interrogate him further in connection with the forgery and organ trafficking cases registered within city limits.

The police team probing Najeeb’s financial dealings have reportedly identified his main bank account at a bank in Kakkanad. Preliminary findings suggest that transactions involving several lakhs of rupees were routed through the account. The police are now examining the flow of money, including the accounts to which funds were transferred and the origins of the deposits.

The probe has also expanded to Najeeb’s other bank accounts, with investigators suspecting that part of the money may have been transferred abroad. Financial records and digital evidence are expected to form a crucial part of the ongoing investigation.

The custody period of Najeeb’s wife, Rasheeda, also ended on Monday. Police sources said the Kochi City Police are likely to move a custody plea on Tuesday, with further interrogation expected after the court’s consideration, likely by Wednesday. The SIT plans to question the couple based on information gathered from financial transactions and phone call records.

According to the SIT, the organ trafficking network allegedly led by Najeeb had been operating for nearly five years. The police suspect that around 40 organ transplant procedures were facilitated through the racket during this period.

In another major development in the case, Debin Joseph, a native of Marayoor and allegedly one of Najeeb’s key intermediaries, was arrested recently. The police allege that he operated under the guise of spa centres to coordinate organ trafficking activities.

Debin Joseph has also been remanded, and the investigation team is expected to seek his custody as well in order to question him alongside Najeeb and uncover the full extent of the network and its operations.