Woman’s Kidney Sold By Husband And In-Laws Because She Couldn’t Give Rs 2 Lakh Dowry

There is nothing ordinary about human kidneys. And the commercial trading of kidneys is banned in many countries. However, circumstances lead people to take this drastic step. An incident was seen in a village in Nepal where almost everyone had sold their kidney due to acute poverty.

This 28-year-old woman from West Bengal, Rita Sarkar claims that her husband and in-laws sold her kidney during an appendix surgery. This was done because her family failed to provide a dowry of Rs. 2 lakh.

According to Mirror Now, in addition to this, the victim also alleged that she had been tortured by her husband of 12 years and in-laws because of the same dowry issue.

She says the kidney theft happened when she was taken to a private nursing home in Kolkata in 2016. She complained of acute stomach ache but the medical officials assured her that the pain would go after they removed her inflamed appendix.

However, she claims that her pain continued even after the surgery. She wanted to see the doctor again, however, her husband warned her to not reveal the details of the surgery to anyone.

Finally, Rita was taken to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital by relatives from her parents’ side. The doctors then found her right kidney missing. She took a second opinion too, and indeed her kidney was not there. According to Hindustan Times, she said,

“I then understood why my husband implored me to keep quiet about the surgery. He sold my kidney because my family couldn’t meet his demand for dowry.”

The lady then went on to file a complaint at Farakka police station in northern Bengal against her husband, Biswajit Sarkar, his brother Shyamal and her mother-in-law, Bularani, who is on the run.

The husband and brother in law were arrested on Monday and were charged by the police. The charges were Section 19 (punishment for commercial dealings in human organs) and Section 21 (offences by companies involved in any such act) of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act.

They were also charged with IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 498 (detaining a married woman with criminal intent).

The brothers allegedly confessed to the trade and that the kidney was sold to a businessman in Chattisgarh. The police will also raid the hospital in Kolkata in which the operation took place.

Police suspect that a kidney smuggling gang is associated with the crime. The officer also said, “A special team has been formed to investigate.”

The plight of women in this country is truly saddening. The practice of dowry is still very much prevalent and girls are still considered a liability in many parts. Women are tortured for not being able to provide the hefty sum asked by in-laws. And in extreme cases, even kidneys are sold off. What kind of humans are we becoming?