'Had to sell liver to survive, but was conned': Helpless Kerala woman exposes organ mafia

Thrissur (Kerala): In a harrowing revelation that exposes the predatory tactics of the illegal organ trade network in Kerala, a 46-year-old woman has come forward detailing how the organ mafia exploited her extreme financial desperation, only to cheat her out of her promised compensation.

Nageswari, a resident of Varkala, was pushed into an insurmountable debt trap after her husband met with a severe motorcycle accident. The injury left him bedridden with a broken neck for six years before he ultimately passed away. To fund his extensive medical treatments, Nageswari had borrowed a massive sum of money by mortgaging the property documents of a close friend.

Following her husband's demise, the pressure and threats from lenders to return the property documents intensified. Compounding her misery, the small business she started for livelihood collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing her two daughters to drop out of school. Living in a dilapidated tin shed with no way out, Nageswari became the perfect target for organ traffickers.

Fake documents and a manipulated deal

Recognising her vulnerability, middlemen approached Nageswari with an offer: ₹10 lakh if she agreed to donate a part of her liver or a kidney. "Even though I knew what I was doing was illegal, I had no choice but to agree just to survive," Nageswari confessed.

According to her statement, the intermediaries were two sisters operating from Kodathippadi in Perumpilavu here. The recipient of the liver transplant was a native of Chalissery. To bypass legal checks and the strict transplant authorisation committees, the brokers manufactured a complete set of forged documents. They fabricated a story claiming Nageswari’s late husband was an employee at the recipient's shop, had received immense financial help from him in the past, and that she was donating her organ purely out of gratitude.

Trapped, operated and defrauded

The liver transplant surgery was successfully carried out at a prominent private hospital in Ernakulam on December 4, 2024. Six days later, on December 10, the brokers handed over just ₹5 lakh to Nageswari.

One of the middlewomen kept the remaining ₹5 lakh, claiming she needed it urgently for a personal matter, and gave Nageswari a firm written assurance that it would be returned by January 15. However, on January 17, Nageswari was shocked to receive news that the middlewoman had suddenly passed away, effectively erasing the rest of her promised money.

Adding to her plight, Nageswari had to personally bear all expenses, including room rent, food and post-operative medical bills, while undergoing mandatory follow-up treatments near the hospital for a month after the major surgery.

Nageswari said that she possesses all the documents, agreements and evidence related to the illegal transaction. She has declared her absolute willingness to hand over everything to the Police and the Health Department to assist in a thorough investigation into the state's thriving organ trading syndicates.