Kerala organ trafficking racket: ED raids 9 premises, freezes accounts in Kochi
Synopsis
A medical tourism front company allegedly ran a five-year organ trafficking racket in Kerala — paying distressed donors ₹5–15 lakh while charging recipients ₹20–35 lakh or more, and forging police certificates and Aadhaar cards to disguise paid transplants as altruistic donations. The ED's nine-location raid on 18 June has frozen accounts and seized surgical records, marking a sharp escalation in the financial investigation.
Key Takeaways
The ED Kochi Zonal Office searched nine premises in Kerala on 18 June 2025 under the PMLA, 2002 .
The racket was allegedly run by Muhammed Najeeb K and Rasheeda A.A. through Kallatharas Medical Tourism Pvt Ltd between 2021 and 2026 .
Donors were allegedly paid ₹5–15 lakh ; recipients were charged ₹20–35 lakh or more per transplant.
Forged documents — including fake altruism certificates, Aadhaar cards, and recommendation letters — were produced at two centres in Pallikkara, Ernakulam .
Bank accounts of agents and intermediaries have been frozen; immovable property details are being assessed for attachment.
The probe was triggered by FIRs filed by the Kerala Police against the syndicate.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at nine premises across Kerala on 18 June 2025 in connection with a large-scale illegal organ trafficking racket, seizing forged hospital records and freezing bank accounts of suspects linked to a medical tourism front company. The Kochi Zonal Office carried out the operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, targeting a criminal syndicate that allegedly ran illegal transplant procedures at hospitals in Ernakulam.
Key Developments
According to the ED, the racket was orchestrated between 2021 and 2026 by Muhammed Najeeb K and his partner Rasheeda A.A. through a front company, Kallatharas Medical Tourism Pvt Ltd. Operating through a network of agents and middlemen, the accused allegedly targeted financially distressed donors, offering them payments of ₹5–15 lakh while charging recipients ₹20–35 lakh or more per procedure.
Freezing orders have been issued against bank accounts of agents and intermediaries who facilitated the illegal organ trade. The ED said account details of the accused and their associated entities are being analysed to trace the flow and layering of proceeds of crime.
How the Forgery Network Operated
The syndicate allegedly forged a range of official documents to pass off paid organ donations as legitimate altruistic ones. These included fake altruism certificates purportedly from police, recommendation letters attributed to public representatives, and forged Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and other identity documents.
According to the ED, the forgeries were executed at Sun Communications DTP Centre and Sign HD Digital Studio, both located in Pallikkara, Ernakulam. The fabricated documents were then used to secure approvals from the District Level Authorisation Committee, after which illegal transplant procedures were facilitated at major hospitals in Ernakulam.
What Was Seized
During the search operations, investigators seized several categories of incriminating material, including forged documents, comprehensive records relating to organ transplantation surgeries — covering particulars of donors and recipients — and documents submitted for committee approvals. Digital evidence and financial transaction records linked to the illegal organ trade were also recovered.
Details of immovable properties held in the names of the accused and their associates have been collected to ascertain assets acquired from proceeds of crime, the ED said.
Investigation Background
The ED probe was initiated on the basis of FIRs registered by the Kerala Police, which first uncovered what investigators describe as a sophisticated criminal syndicate. The alleged offences span forgery of official documents, cheating, criminal conspiracy, and illegal organ trafficking — all conducted under the cover of legitimate medical tourism and altruistic donation.
This comes amid growing national concern over organ trafficking networks that exploit regulatory gaps in transplant authorisation processes. The case is among the more structurally elaborate such rackets to surface in recent years, given the alleged involvement of document-forging units, multiple hospital facilities, and a formally registered company as a front.
Further arrests and asset attachments are expected as the ED's financial trail analysis progresses.
Point of View
In-house document forgery units, and multi-hospital facilitation represent a level of institutional camouflage that routine transplant oversight clearly failed to catch. The District Level Authorisation Committee, meant to be the last line of defence against commercial organ trade, was allegedly neutralised by forged police certificates and fabricated identity documents. That points to a systemic gap: authorisation processes that rely heavily on paper verification without independent donor interviews or field checks are vulnerable by design. The ED's financial trail — tracing ₹20–35 lakh recipient payments through layered accounts — will be the real test of how deep the network runs and whether hospital administrators or committee members face scrutiny beyond the named accused.
NationPress
21 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kerala organ trafficking racket that the ED is investigating?
It is an alleged large-scale illegal organ trafficking operation run between 2021 and 2026 through a front company, Kallatharas Medical Tourism Pvt Ltd, led by Muhammed Najeeb K and Rasheeda A.A. The syndicate allegedly facilitated paid organ transplants at hospitals in Ernakulam while disguising them as altruistic donations using forged documents.
What did the ED seize and freeze during the 18 June raids?
The ED seized forged documents, hospital records detailing donor and recipient particulars, documents submitted to the District Level Authorisation Committee, and digital evidence. Bank accounts of agents and intermediaries linked to the racket were also frozen, and immovable property details of the accused are being assessed.
How much money was allegedly involved in the organ trafficking racket?
According to the ED, donors were paid between ₹5 lakh and ₹15 lakh per procedure, while recipients were charged ₹20–35 lakh or more. The financial investigation is ongoing to trace the full flow of proceeds of crime.
How were the forged documents created?
The ED says forgeries were produced at Sun Communications DTP Centre and Sign HD Digital Studio in Pallikkara, Ernakulam. Fabricated documents included fake altruism certificates, police recommendation letters, Aadhaar cards, and ration cards used to obtain transplant approvals.
What happens next in the ED investigation?
The ED is analysing bank account details of accused persons and their associated entities to trace layering of proceeds of crime. Details of immovable properties are also being collected for potential attachment, and further action — including arrests and asset freezes — is expected as the financial trail is established.
