Woman promised Rs 40 lakh in lieu of kidney; duped of Rs 40,000 online

Close on the heels of the kidney transplant racket busted at Hiranandani Hospital comes one more shocker related to sale of kidneys. This time around, a 23-year-old woman tried to commit suicide by consuming poison after being lured into paying Rs 40,000 for documentation work in connection with the sale of one of her kidneys, for which she was promised a jaw-dropping '40 lakh online.

The victim, who stays with her parents in a slum area in Borivali, regained consciousness four days after the attempted suicide, following which her family members and friends on Tuesday approached the police and registered a complaint about the online fraud.

According to the complaint, to which The Asian Age has access, nearly a month ago, the woman received a phone call where the caller inquired if she was willing to sell one of her kidneys for Rs 34 to Rs 40 lakh.

She agreed, thinking that with such a big amount, she could help her father, an auto-rickshaw driver. Thereafter, the caller asked her to deposit money in his account for documentation work. After she deposited the money, the caller threatened her and stepped up his demand.

Recalling the turn of events, the woman said she was a graduate and was looking for a job. On July 26, while reading an article on the Internet about kidney donation, an online form appeared, asking for her details and she immediately filled it. The same evening, she received the phone call where the caller asked her if she was interested in donating one of her kidneys for Rs 34 to Rs 40 lakh. Owing to her financial condition, she agreed, and the caller gave her his bank account number, asking her to deposit as much as Rs 80,000 for online registration and medical checkup. However, the woman agreed to pay only Rs 40,000 and asked the caller to deduct the remaining amount from the amount she would get by selling one of her kidneys.

A family friend, Gaurav Sharma, said, “Without informing anyone, she borrowed Rs 40,000 from her friends and relatives and deposited the money in the caller’s bank account. Later, he started threatening her and demanding another Rs 40,000. Upset over these calls and having realised she had been duped, she attempted suicide on August 20 by consuming poison.

“However, she was immediately rushed to the hospital. After regaining consciousness on Monday, she told us the whole story after which we decided to approach the police.”