Roni Akand Special Correspondent Joypurhat:

Police have arrested Abdus Sattar (54), the mastermind of the kidney buying and selling ring in Kalai, Joypurhat, known as Kidney Hat. He was arrested from the Municipality Park area of ​​Bogra Sadar on Wednesday night.

The arrested Abdus Sattar is the son of the deceased Abdul Jabbar Khalifa of Bahuti village in the upazila, known as Kidney Hat. There are five cases against him in Kalai police station, including kidney buying and selling. He was sent to jail through the court on Thursday afternoon. This information was confirmed by Kalai police station investigation OC Dipendra Nath Singh.

The case in which the broker Chattar was arrested states that Montu Mia of Gobindaganj area of ​​Gaibandha, who was in financial crisis, was lured with Tk 10 lakh to sell his kidney.

Then he was taken to Dhaka for various tests and a passport was made to go to Nepal for a kidney transplant. In the first week of January this year, Montu Mia was given an advance of 50,000 taka.

Then he was admitted to a hospital in Nepal. A few days later, one of his kidneys was removed through surgery and he was brought back to Bangladesh. After returning home, Montu Mia wanted the remaining 950,000 taka of the kidney sale contract. But broker Chattar and other brokers did not give him the money and kept trying to evade it in various ways.

On June 13, poor kidney seller Montu Mia filed a case in the Joypurhat Administrative Court, accusing Sabbir Ahmed of Nishindara village in Bogra Sadar upazila, Sumon Ali of Kichak Mallikpara village in Shibganj upazila, Abdul Mannan and Saidur Rahman of Paikpara village in Udaypur union of Kalai upazila of Joypurhat, Abdus Chattar of Lawna village, and Tarek Azam alias Bablu Chowdhury of Chhoto Hossainpur Rajaganj area of ​​Begumganj upazila of Noakhali. The case was recorded at Kalai police station on the same day as per the court's order.

Among the accused, Tarek Azam alias Bablu Chowdhury is known as a moneylender in kidney buying and selling. He has been buying and selling kidneys in the country and abroad by recruiting brokers from Rayerbagh area of ​​Dhaka in Joypurhat, luring poor people with money.

The issue of the brutality of the kidney buying and selling brokers who have been active in Kalai for a long time has come to the fore again. Local residents allege that this gang has been targeting poor, indebted and financially insolvent people and luring them to sell their kidneys. Although the buying and selling of kidneys has slowed down due to strict administrative surveillance, it has resurfaced in the past year. The gang of brokers has become active.

Among the areas already known as kidney markets, the names of the villages of Bherendi, Ulipur, Satar, Kusumsara, Anihar, Bhaujapatar, Shivsamudra, Paikeshwar and Indahar in Matrai Union of the upazila, Talora-Baiguni, Bahuti, Mohail, Thal, Bagil, Mastor, Jaipur Bahuti, Nawana Bahuti, Durgapur, Uttar Telihar, Bhusha, Kashipur, Binil and Purbakristapur in Ahmedabad Union have come into local discussion.

These new villages have been joined by Anora, Thupasara, Sitahar and Durunja-Nayapara mahallas of Kalai Municipality and Elta, Imampur, Begungram, Karimpur and Hajipur-Ghaturia of Jindarpur Union and Jalaigari, Panchgram, Jagdumbar and Shantinagar of Punat Union. In other words, kidney buying and selling is going on in the entire upazila.

Section 9 of the Human Organ Transplantation Act, 1999 prohibits the buying and selling of organs. Section 10(1) of the same act provides for imprisonment and fine for buying and selling organs or aiding in this activity.

Kalai Police Station OC Investigation Dipendra Nath Singh said that after the kidney fraud case was received at the police station, a drive was launched to arrest the accused in the complaint. With the help of technology, a raid was conducted on Wednesday night and accused Abdus Sattar was arrested from the Municipal Park area of ​​Bogra Sadar.

He also said that he was sent to jail through the court today. The operation to arrest the other accused is continuing.