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India wants 'Dr Kidney' handed over
Delhi plans extradition request after Nepal arrests organ transplant mastermind.
Last Modified: 09 Feb 2008 02:29 GMT
 Dr Kumar's arrest has been headline news both in India and Nepal [AFP]
New Delhi will request Nepal to extradite a doctor wanted for allegedly masterminding an international illegal kidney transplant scheme, officials at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu have said.
 
The planned extradition request comes after Amit Kumar was arrested by Nepalese authorities in the south of the country on Thursday.
India will "put in a formal request to the concerned authorities in Nepal to hand him over to Indian authorities," Indian embassy officials said on Friday.
 
Indian police last month closed Kumar's kidney transplant facility in Gurgaon, a suburb located outside New Delhi.
He is alleged to have removed kidneys from hundreds of poor workers in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh who were lured to his operating theatre.
 
The collected organs were then allegedly transplanted to wealthy clients, many of whom were from overseas.
 
Cash haul
 
Nepali police said Kumar, 40, was carrying more than $200,000 in Indian and foreign currency at the time of his arrest, according to press reports.
 
In Video


Indian doctor alleged to have stolen kidneys

Kumar was arrested from a jungle resort in Chitwan, 160km south of Katmandu.
 
Indian investigators are seeking access to question Kumar in Nepal while Nepalese authorities conduct their own investigation.
 
Nepalese police are investigating whether Kumar was involved in illegal kidney transplants in Nepal.
 
A preliminary investigation suggested Kumar was a frequent visitor to the country and had been looking for land where he could build a hospital for kidney transplants.
 
Indian police have already arrested Kumar's sister-in-law Pooja and her driver Umesh in relation to the racket.
 
Five other suspects, including another doctor, have also been detained for allegedly luring kidney donors.
 
His brother, Jeevan Rawat, 36, is still being hunted by police.
 
Illegal organ transplants are not new in India.
 
Last year, police in southern India said they found evidence of illegal trade in kidneys sold by poor fishermen and their families whose livelihoods were destroyed by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Source:
Agencies
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