The Central Bureau of Investigation is getting in touch with Greek authorities to ascertain the arrest of three women, including a doctor, for allegedly being involved in the multi-crore kidney racket in which Dr Amit Kumar, the key accused, has been taken into custody by it.
The agency, which is probing the case, will approach the authorities through the external affairs ministry and Interpol to get facts and evidence related to it, CBI sources said on Thursday.
According to Athens News Agency, national news agency of Greece, Greek police after a five month investigation had found a Greek woman doctor and two other women, who were owners of a shop, of being allegedly involved in the kidney scam.
All three have been arrested on Wednesday and would be charged as members of an international ring that arranged to send kidney patients to India to receive illegal kidney transplants, the police announcement was quoted as saying in Athens.
Police alleged that at least 10 people in Greece were known to have died as a result of the surgeries, while the health of an unspecified number of others may have been permanently compromised due to post-operative complications and infections.
The investigation was launched based on information received by the Greek police from the Greek Embassy in India and Interpol, according to which kidney patients from Greek were going to India to undergo kidney transplants performed by a specific local surgeon.
During their investigation, the CBI had found role of four Greek citizens, who were questioned and then set free.
Greek authorities then launched their own investigation, questioning witnesses and arranging to lift the confidentiality of the suspects' bank records.
When these were opened, they found large amount to the tune of 225,000 euros which had been deposited allegedly in the suspects' bank accounts by kidney patients who went to India, according to the ANA.
Police said the gang operated by seeking out kidney patients undergoing dialysis at various hospitals in Greece and then, knowing that their condition was incurable, worked on persuading them to undergo a kidney transplant in India for a minimum fee of 40,000 euros.
They then underwent blood tests to check their tissue compatibility with donors and the results were sent to the Indian clinic by the Greek doctor, who were part of an international ring operating in that country, police said.
Arrangements were then made to take the patients to India, who would often be pressed by the traffickers to pay an additional 5-10,000 euros in order to bring the trip forward, they said.
A member of the Greek ring would then accompany the patients to India and lead them to hotels owned by the ring members so that they could be more easily pressurised for more money, ANA said quoting the police.
The rich patients from western countries also placed their health at risk, police said, adding that patients were often forced to return to Greece before they had fully recovered from the operation.
In more than one case, patients arrived home in a very bad state due to post-operative infections and had to be immediately taken to Greek hospitals for the required medical help, the Greek police alleged.
The Greek authorities were trying to ascertain how many of the transplant recipients have died as a result of the surgeries, though the evidence collected so far point out that at least 10 people have died of various infections following the surgery.
For two of these - a man and a woman -- there is proof that they were accompanied to India by one of the two women arrested, police said.
The woman patient died a few hours after the operation was carried out in India and the man died after his return to Greece in a hospital.
