Kochi: Kerala Police, in collaboration with central agencies, have launched an investigation into an international organ trafficking network following the arrest of a Thrissur man from Kochi airport.

Sabith Nasar from Valappadu in Thrissur district was arrested at Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). He is believed to be the key figure in an international human trafficking operation involving organ harvesting.

According to the police, the accused allegedly deceived victims into believing they would receive legal compensation for donating their kidneys in foreign countries. Instead, they were trafficked for their organs. Nasar has been charged under IPC Section 370 (trafficking of a person) and the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994.

The police reportedly have information on 20 victims, one from Palakkad and the remaining 19 from North India. They suspect there may be more victims involved in the trafficking network. The police will present Nasar in court on Monday afternoon to seek custody for a detailed interrogation.

Reports also indicate that another person connected with the case is also in police custody and is being questioned. Authorities are investigating whether Nasar acted as a middleman or was a primary agent in the network.

Nasar's typical method involved approaching ordinary people and offering them small sums of money to travel abroad. Initially, they were taken to Kuwait and then to Iran, where the organ surgeries were performed. The victims were provided with fake Aadhaar cards and passports and transported to Iran. After the organ extraction, they were brought back and given a meagre amount of money. It remains unclear how much the victims were paid, the extent of the organ trafficking network, or the total number of victims.

Authorities are working to gather more details.