CA Tried to sell Kidney to clear debts, loses Rs. 6.2L to Con

A Chartered Accountant seeking financial relief decided to sell one of his kidneys for a quick profit. However, he only ended up losing Rs 6.2 lakh to fraudsters.

Raghuvaran (name changed), 46, of Mathikere, stated in his complaint to Central CEN Crime police that on February 28, he searched the internet for people looking for kidney donors.

He discovered a contact number (9631688773) while visiting a website. When he contacted the number, the operator instructed him to text him over WhatsApp. Raghuvaran was requested to provide basic information, including his name, age, address, and blood group.

Raghuvaran stated that when he revealed that his blood group was AB negative, the fraudsters offered Rs.2 crore for a kidney, with half of it as an advance. He emailed his ID proof, such as his Aadhaar and PAN cards, as well as a photograph, to the email address that was provided to him.

“Initially, they requested me to pay Rs.8,000 for the NOC and registration fees. Later, they told me I needed to pay Rs.20,000 to get a code. The next day, they asked me to pay Rs.85,000 to use the code,” Raghuvaran explained.

On March 2, he was required to pay Rs.5 lakh for tax clearance before transferring the funds to his account, and Raghuvaran continued to follow the instructions.

The following day, he got a call from an unknown number.

“The caller, a woman, claimed to be an employee of the State Bank of India in Delhi and wanted me to pay Rs.7.6 lakh to obtain an anti-drug and terrorist clearance form. I noticed something suspicious and did not make the payment. They sent me a form via email. I called my boss and a few friends. My boss alerted me that it was a scam and advised me to file a police report right away,” Raghuvaran stated.

A man claiming to be a doctor had also contacted Raghuvaran and discussed the requirements of becoming a kidney donor. “I wanted to pay my car’s EMI, close my credit cards, and solve other financial issues,” he said.

He further stated that he was unaware that selling a kidney to strangers for money was illegal.

A senior police officer stated that a case had been filed under the Information Technology Act and IPC Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property). Measures have also been taken to freeze the fraudulent accounts.

“We suspect the fraudsters have cheated many others in a similar manner,” the detective explained.