The Telangana Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested two more persons in connection with the inter-State human organ trafficking racket that operated under the guise of legitimate organ donation and transplantation, at a private hospital in Hyderabad. The arrest brings the total number of accused persons held in the case to 19.One of the accused, identified as Pamulapati Pavan Kumar alias Leon, a resident of Tadepalligudem in Andhra Pradesh, was taken into custody from L.B. Nagar. The other, Pradeep Kumar Gupta alias Pradeep Agarwal, a resident of Gurugram, was arrested from Chandigarh.According to CID officials, Pavan Kumar is the prime accused in the trafficking operation, who along with Dr. Rajashekar and Dr. Avinash, arranged donors and recepients for kidney transplantation surgeries at Alakananda, Janani and Aruna hospitals. Pavan Kumar had established a network of brokers across States — in Tamil Nadu, to scout for impoverished and vulnerable kidney donors, and in Bengaluru, Karnataka and Haryana, to find wealthy recipients.For each illegal surgery, he allegedly charged between ₹10-₹15 lakh as commission, and used the proceeds to purchase luxury cars and afford his trips to invest money in casinos in Sri Lanka.Pradeep Gupta, on the other hand, played a key role in sourcing patients willing to pay large sums for illegal kidney transplants. He facilitated transplants for at least 10 patients from Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra. He earned ₹10 lakh for each transplant he helped coordinate, acting as a middleman between recipients and Kumar.The case initially came to light following a complaint by the Deputy District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) of Rangareddy district regarding irregularities at Alakananda Multi-Specialty Hospital. It was registered at Saroornagar police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, before being transferred to CID in April for further investigation. Further investigation is under way.Published - July 23, 2025 08:56 pm IST