Family duped of Rs 12 lakh by ‘kidney doner’ in Cuttack, accused couple detained

A family from Keonjhar was allegedly duped of Rs 12 lakh by a couple who promised them to arrange a kidney for transplant at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

The incident dates back to over a year when Kutulu Majhi was admitted to SCB hospital for kidney ailments. When the doctors suggested a kidney transplant, his wife searched for doners and came in contact with a couple from Balasore.

The accused befriended Majhi and his wife and allegedly convinced him to pay Rs 12 lakh in return for a kidney. However, it is still not clear whether the donor kidney was a match for Majhi or not.

As per the allegation, even after paying Rs 12 lakh before one year, the doners did not give the kidney as promised till now, forcing Majhi’s wife to lodge a complaint with Mangalabag Police in Cuttack.

“They made a deal with us. They initially demanded Rs 10 lakh for a kidney, but when we expressed our inability to pay that amount, they agreed to give us the kidney at Rs 8 lakh. We paid them Rs 4 lakh upfront and told them to pay the rest of the amount after the transplant. But they did not agree and convinced us to pay a total amount of Rs 12 lakh even before the transplant,” alleged Kutulu Majhi’s wife

"They blackmailed me emotionally and fooled me into paying all the money before the transplant,” she alleged.

Following the complaint, the police launched a probe and detained the accused couple for questioning.

Speaking about the probe, Cuttack DCP Pinak Mishra said, “We have begun the probe after the matter came to us yesterday. Both the receiver and doner had an understanding between them. They too had some monetary transactions. However, in later stages, the doner denied to donate the kidney. An ADCP has been assigned to conduct the investigation.”