The recipient in this trade — that took place in August, 2004 — was one Dev Lal Mahto. The donor and complainant was his employee, Ramakant, who says he had no idea that he was selling his kidney.

In mid 2004, Ramakant was working as a security guard in Nangloi. He was approached by Mahto’s family and offered a job which paid more. An employee of NTPC, Mahto was at that time in hospital with a failing kidney. Soon after he joined them, Ramakant was made to sign a few documents by Mahto’s son Dilip. The papers, it later turned out, was an affidavit that stated Ramakant was Mahto’s brother and that his father’s name was Arun Kant Mahto.

This affidavit was an important prerequisite in the deal since the law states that a person who wishes to donate a kidney to his relative must show adequate proof of kinship to hospital authorities. A ‘ration card’ was also produced which stated the donor was Mahto’s brother.

Ramakant, poor and not well educated, was too frightened to go against the Mahto family, he said in his complaint. The man, in his early sixties, was taken to the Apollo Hospital. When hospital authorities asked him how he was related, he told them he was the recipient’s brother. When he woke up, one of his kidneys had been removed.

For two years, Ramakant made dogged rounds of the Sarita Vihar Police Station but officers did not react immediately. In the last two years, Mahto as well as the doctor who had operated on Ramakant, passed away. But the man did not lose hope. A few months ago, he took the matter to senior officers.

Following investigations, Dilip Mahto was arrested two weeks ago. Deputy Commissioner (South) Anil Shukla said, “Ramakant was forced to sign the affidavit. Dilip is in judicial custody and we are probing the matter thoroughly.”