NEW DELHI, India, July 9: The Delhi Police have uncovered a significant international organ transplant racket, arresting seven individuals, including a doctor, in connection with the illicit operation. News agency ANI reported on Tuesday that the racket involved both donors and recipients from Bangladesh.

According to Delhi Police Commissioner Amit Goel, the mastermind behind the racket is a Bangladeshi national, and all individuals involved in the illegal trade are suspected to have links with Bangladesh.

"We have arrested a person named Russell, who used to arrange patients and donors, and a female doctor involved in the transplant has also been arrested," stated DCP Goel in an official statement.

The investigation into the seven arrested individuals is ongoing. The racket, which dates back to 2019, charged between ?25-30 lakh for each transplant, exploiting loopholes in India's Transplantation of Human Organs Act (2014).

"The doctor arrested has affiliations with two or three hospitals. Her role in this case involved facilitating organ transplants despite knowing that the donor and recipient were not blood relatives, thus implicating her in the conspiracy," added DCP Goel.

Under Indian law, organ donations are strictly permitted only among immediate blood relatives such as parents and siblings. The involvement of a doctor in facilitating such transactions, where the donor and recipient are not related, underscores the gravity of the illegal operation.

The Delhi Police's crackdown highlights ongoing challenges in regulating and preventing illegal organ trafficking, especially involving international networks. Further details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses into the depth and scope of this disturbing racket.