Mumbai police apprehended five doctors of L H Hiranandani Hospital, which includes CEO Sujit Chatterjee and medical director Anurag Naik, Tuesday evening in connection with the kidney transplant racket that came to light on July 14. Perhaps this is the first time that senior doctors of a reputed institute in the city have been arrested for unethical medical practices.
So far 14 people have been taken into custody, including a kidney failure patient and his’fake wife.’ Six arrestees are associated with the hospital, together with a medical social worker, Nilesh Kamble.
The doctors were arrested after the State Health Department report pointed out their involvement in the racket, said Mumbai police spokesperson DCP Ashok Dudhe. "Based on the report of the state appropriate authority, the Powai police arrested the five doctors, including the CEO and the medical director, at 8.30 PM on Tuesday, " said DCP Dudhe. However, according to cretain knowledgeable sources, it was medical social worker Kamble’s confessions to the police that led to the arrests.
The arrested doctors - Sujit Chaterjee(CEO), Anurag Naik(Medical Director), Mukesh Shetye, Mukesh Shah and Prakash Shetty - are under the custody of Powai police station and will be produced before the 66th Court of the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate on Wednesday.
Police sources said that they have collected the call data records of the doctors and the racket along with the hospital transplant manager Nilesh Kamble(36) who coordinated with the racket.
These doctors have been booked under section 12 of the IPC and the Transplantation of Human Organs Act. As per TOI report, Dudhe said that the police had used TOHA sections 12(no registered medical practitioner shall undertake the removal or transplantation of any human organ unless he has explained, in such manner as may be prescribed, all possible effects, complications and hazards connected with the removal and transplantation to the donor and the recipient respectively) and section 21(Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly).