Police in Assam’s Nagaon district have dismantled a long-running organ transplant racket, arresting three individuals allegedly involved in illegal kidney trafficking. Authorities say the network had been operating for several years, preying on vulnerable and impoverished families.

According to Nagaon Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Swapnanil Deka, the breakthrough came during a recent awareness meeting on drugs and illicit liquor organized by the Village Women’s Defence Force. During discussions, villagers revealed disturbing accounts of an ongoing kidney trade in the area, prompting police to launch an intensive investigation.

The ensuing operation, conducted over several days, exposed the full web of the trafficking network that had quietly thrived in the district.

Three arrested, more suspects identified

Police have arrested three accused — Dharani Das alias Bogumula, Mahendra Das, and Deep Das alias Dopy — who allegedly acted as brokers and traffickers in the organ trade.

Investigators have also identified two other suspects — Hazrika from Baihata Chariali in Kamrup and Daluapgu from Guwahati — believed to be linked to the racket. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend them.

Poor families coerced into selling kidneys

The illegal organ trade is said to have flourished in a village near Nagaon, where families living in extreme poverty and battling alcohol addiction were reportedly coerced into selling their kidneys.

Local sources claim that in some households, three out of five members have already sold their kidneys. “This has been happening for years,” one villager told the police.

According to preliminary findings, brokers offered Rs 3–3.5 lakh per kidney, sending donors to Kolkata for surgery. However, victims alleged that they received only a fraction of the promised amount, as middlemen siphoned off most of the money.

Authorities suspect that the racket has connections across state borders, particularly in West Bengal and Assam’s urban centers. The Nagaon police have launched a wider probe to track the full extent of the network and its financial trail.

Separate anti-drug operation

In a parallel operation against narcotics, a team from Rupahi Police Station in Nagaon on Monday recovered 20 plastic vials and one soap box containing 16.06 grams of heroin. The accused, arrested at the scene, is currently in custody for further interrogation.

Police said the anti-drug drive aims to curb trafficking networks that often overlap with other forms of organized crime, including human and organ trafficking.

Authorities have described the latest crackdown as a major step in exposing deep-rooted criminal networks in rural Assam, and pledged to bring all those involved to justice.

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