Police in Kanpur have arrested Rohit Tiwari, the alleged mastermind of a multi-city kidney transplant racket. The 24-year-old Hardoi resident, a Class XII pass-out, is accused of posing as a doctor while coordinating between hospitals, donors, and recipients.
Officials said Tiwari, who carried a reward of ₹25,000, managed the entire operation from arranging doctors for surgeries to misleading victims by impersonating a medical professional. During interrogation, he reportedly admitted to facilitating more than 30 illegal transplants.
Deputy Commissioner of Police S M Qasim Abidi said Tiwari played a central role in the syndicate, with all members directly connected to him. Police believe he has been involved in the racket since 2018 and had previously worked at a hospital in Meerut before joining the network.
Investigators said Tiwari disclosed details of a Meerut-based team that conducted transplant surgeries in Kanpur. The group allegedly included Vaibhav Mudgal, Dr Ali, and Afzal, who remain absconding. Police teams are conducting raids to trace them. Officials said Dr Ali carried out the surgeries, while others assisted.
Police added that Tiwari decided the venues and hospitals for the procedures. His associate, Shivam Agarwal, allegedly managed local operations in Kanpur.
The racket was busted two weeks ago with the arrest of six individuals, including five doctors Dr Surjeet Singh Ahuja, Dr Preeti Ahuja, Dr Rajesh Kumar, Dr Ram Prakash, and Dr Narendra Singh along with Agarwal. Three more individuals, including two operation theatre technicians, were later arrested.
According to police, the network targeted economically vulnerable individuals, offering ₹5-6 lakh for kidneys and selling them to recipients for ₹60 lakh to ₹1 crore. The accused allegedly acted as middlemen, connecting donors with doctors.
Authorities have written to Chief Medical Officers in Meerut, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, and Kanpur to verify hospitals that surfaced during the probe. Nearly a dozen hospitals across these districts are suspected to have links to the racket.
