India seeks extradition of doctor accused of running organ transplant ring

Indian authorities say transplant specialist held donors at gunpoint

February 9, 2008

The Associated Press

'I can only say that I have not committed any crime,' Dr. Amit Kumar said after his capture at a jungle resort in Nepal. BINOD JOSHI/The Associated Press

NEW DELHI – The Indian government said Friday it is seeking the extradition of a man accused of heading an organ transplant ring that illegally removed hundreds of kidneys, sometimes from unwilling donors held at gunpoint.

An international manhunt for the fugitive doctor, Amit Kumar, ended Thursday night when police arrested him in Chitwan, a Nepalese jungle resort 100 miles south of Katmandu, local police chief Kiran Gautam said.

Local news reports said he was identified by a hotel employee who recognized him from Indian television broadcasts.

Authorities believe up to 500 kidneys were sold to clients who traveled to India from around the world over the last nine years. Some victims were forced onto the operating table at gunpoint, while others were tricked with promises of work, police said last month.

"That is wrong, absolutely wrong. I have not duped anybody," Dr. Kumar said when he was briefly brought before reporters in Katmandu. "I can only say that I have not committed any crime."

Late Friday, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said investigators already were talking to Nepalese authorities about Dr. Kumar's extradition.

Hours earlier, Nepalese authorities said Dr. Kumar would first be charged and tried there for violating currency laws by not declaring money he was carrying. He had $230,000 in cash and a $24,000 check when arrested.

Police also were investigating whether he was involved in illegal kidney transplants in Nepal. A preliminary investigation suggested Dr. Kumar was a frequent visitor to the country and had been looking for land where he could build a hospital for kidney transplants, said Upendra Aryal, a top police officer.

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This article posted May 25, 2008.