Six nabbed for blood racket in prominent Delhi hospitals

New Delhi, August 20: With the arrest of six persons, including two earlier booked in kidney racket cases, Delhi Police today claimed to have smashed a gang involved in cheating people by promising to arrange blood for patients at two prominent city hospitals.

The arrests came following investigations into a complaint filed by Vinod Kumar who alleged that he was cheated by some persons promising blood for Rs 2,000 per unit at Safdarjung hospital for his two-year-old ailing daughter.

The arrested were identified as Mahesh Kumar (42), Satish Kumar (47), Kailash Singh (45), Gaurav Kumar (24), Ankur (19) and Lal Bahadur (47), Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) H G S Dhaliwal, said adding the rackets were operating in AIIMS and Safdurjung Hospital.

“Kailash and Mahesh were actively involved in the kidney transplant racket and were arrested in 2004 and 2006 in cases registered in Mandir Marg and Surya Nagar respectively while Bahadur is a security guard at Safdarjung hospital,” he said.

Dhaliwal said further investigation to unearth the nexus, if any, among blood bank administration, security staff and Sulabh International’s staff is being probed.

“Their active involvement cannot be ruled out because all these accused were actively involved right under the nose of AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital authorities. Blood bank records of the hospital are being scrutinised and a probe is on to unearth the larger network,” he said.

-Agencies