Cops arrest Alipore court lawyer for alleged role in kidney trafficking racket

In a significant development in the Ashoknagar kidney trafficking case, an Alipore Court lawyer from Bansdroni, Pradip Kumar Bar (37), has been arrested. This marks the sixth arrest in the ongoing investigation into an illicit kidney trade network. The lawyer was initially summoned by the Ashoknagar police for questioning and was subsequently taken into custody after failing to provide satisfactory answers.

Police sources reveal that Bar was served a notice and called to the Ashoknagar Police Station at 4 PM on Thursday. He was interrogated by the Ashoknagar police officials until 3 AM, during which his responses were deemed unsatisfactory, leading to his arrest. His name surfaced during the interrogation of five previously arrested individuals in connection with the same kidney trafficking ring.

Investigations by the police have uncovered a sophisticated modus operandi employed in the illegal kidney donation cases. Typically, for a kidney donation, two committees at the district and state levels are involved. After initial physical examinations of the donor and recipient by a nephrocenter, an application is made. This triggers a police verification at the health district level, followed by a sub-divisional hearing. The report from this hearing, whether "recommended" or "not recommended," is then forwarded to the state level.

Crucially, donors are also required to obtain an affidavit from the court. However, legal clearance from the court is generally not granted without administrative recommendations. Police suspect that it was through the Alipore Court lawyer's alleged influence and network that "not recommended" cases were illegally processed and affidavits obtained through illicit means. The arrested individuals reportedly informed the police that the lawyer knew exactly how to manipulate the system.

According to police, the lawyer practiced at the Alipore Court. It is alleged that all documents and affidavits related to kidney trafficking cases originating from Habra and surrounding areas were processed through him at the Alipore Court. The police became suspicious when they noticed that kidney transplant cases from Habra had affidavits processed at the Alipore Court, raising red flags that triggered further investigation.

Investigators believe that the arrested lawyer acted as a crucial intermediary in this racket since 2014. For an affidavit that typically costs Rs. 500, he allegedly charged as much as Rs. 10,000, with no mention of such transactions in the official court documents. The previously arrested individuals in this case are Amit Jana, Mousumi Sardar, Piyali Dey, Gouranga Sardar, and Bikash Ghosh alias Sheetal.

The lawyer's name came to light during the interrogation of one female and one male accused. On Friday, the arrested lawyer was produced before the Barasat Court, with police seeking an 8-day remand for further questioning.