Donor in racket to turn into approver thanks to police

Shobha Thakur, arrested by the Mumbai police a week ago for her involvement in the kidney racket in selling her kidney, and currently under judicial custody lodged at Byculla Women’s Jail, will soon walk free owing to the sympathy shown towards her by both Maharashtra and Gujarat police.

Ms Thakur, booked by the Mumbai police as a co-accused, will turn approver in the kidney racket even as topmost police officials in her home state, Gujarat, confirmed that they considered her a victim of the racket.

Mumbai police top brass too confirmed that Ms Thakur would turn witness, considering there was no evidence as of now to point out her active involvement in the racket. “She was made a part of the scam and has zero involvement in planning or execution. Most probably, with the help of the judiciary, she will be turned into an approver so that the real accused can be put behind bars,” said an investigating officer.

Police officials from Gujarat too confirmed that since Ms Thakur had no part in their line of investigation, there was very little possibility that she would be called in for the probe. “Since the Transplant of Human Organs Act (THOA) 1994, doesn’t have a provision for victims, we can’t officially call her a victim. But her decisions were forced and were based on vulnerable conditions of the household. But our investigations don’t concern her so she is likely to not be bothered,” said a top officer from the Gujarat commissionerate.

Ms Thakur had come to Mumbai to sell her kidney at Hiranandani hospital and had posed as the wife of Surat-based businessman Brijkishore Jaiswal (48), who was in need of a kidney.