Nepal to slap charges against kidney scam kingpin

Nepalese police on Friday decided to slap charges of illegal kidney transplants and foreign currency violations against alleged kingpin Amit Kumar as India wanted him to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation at the earliest.

If convicted, Kumar will face a maximum sentence of five years or will have to fork out Rs 5 lakh as fine, or both.

A case would be lodged against the tainted doctor for illegal human organ transplants and another for possession of foreign currency of Euro 145,000, $18,900 and an Indian bank draft of Rs 936,000, Kathmandu SSP Upendra Kanta Aryal told a crowded press conference.

Kumar, who was presented before the media after being brought to Kathmandu from a jungle resort near the Indo-Nepalese border, said he was not a kidney dealer and had not committed any crime.

In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Navtej Sarna said, "Given the nature of the case and the close cooperation that exists between legal and security authorities between India and Nepal, we expect that Dr Amit would be handed over to the Indian authorities at the earliest possible."

The CBI has taken up the matter of Kumar's handing over with the Nepalese government through the Indian embassy, he said.

Forty-year-old Kumar, who was arrested from Hotel Wildlife Camp in Chitwan in southern Nepal ending a fortnight-long manhunt, said, "I have not committed any crime. Allegations against me have been cleared in court. I am just a doctor, not a kidney dealer. I will reveal all the truth by organising a press conference after my release."

Nepalese police said after questioning Kumar that he had "confessed" to carrying out over 300 kidney transplants in India.