Kochi, Jun 18 (PTI) The ED on Thursday carried out searches at multiple hospitals and residences across Kerala as part of a money laundering probe linked to a racket that allegedly used forged documents to facilitate illegal organ donations, sources said.

The searches were conducted at five locations in hospitals and residences in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam districts from early morning, officials said.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) sources said the agency launched its investigation based on multiple FIRs registered by the police in various districts against a racket allegedly involved in facilitating illegal organ donations in recent years.

According to the sources, a preliminary probe revealed that the accused were acting as intermediaries between organ donors, recipients, and hospitals, charging hefty sums to arrange donations.

Based on these findings, the ED registered a money laundering case.

The searches were conducted at hospitals that allegedly had financial transactions with the prime accused, Najeeb, officials said.

In Kochi, searches were held in three locations, officials said.

The simultaneous raids began at 6 am, and investigators are examining bank transactions and medical records related to organ donations, they said.

Police investigations have found that the organ donation process involves complex verification procedures that require certificates and clearances from the police, local bodies, doctors, MLAs, and MPs.

The accused allegedly used forged documents to bypass these procedures.

According to the police FIRs, the gang had been active since August 2023 and allegedly forged letterheads of two private hospitals in Kochi, police clearance certificates, and letters in the names of MLAs, MPs, and police officers.

Police further alleged that the gang forged recommendation letters of several prominent doctors.

Cases related to the racket have been registered in multiple districts, as it allegedly operated across Kerala.

The key accused, Najeeb of Kasaragod, was arrested by the police from Uttar Pradesh last month. PTI TBA TBA ROH