DIBRUGARH: Police in Dibrugarh district of Assam busted an illegal blood donation racket at the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) campus on Thursday (May 16).
The crackdown resulted in the arrest of three individuals identified as Amrit Rajput, Pradip Das and Dasrath Das, who were allegedly running the illicit activities.
According to the police, the trio recruited rickshaw pullers, migrant labourers, and even drug addicts to donate blood in exchange for small payments.
The blood collected from these vulnerable groups was then sold to desperate patients at exorbitant price.
Reports suggest that a single unit of blood was being sold for amounts ranging from Rs 3000 to Rs 7000, depending on the blood type and urgency.
Also read: Assam MP eyes third term, contests from Valmiki Nagar in Bihar
Shockingly, the culprits were also found to have sold their own blood multiple times.
Rajib Das, the in-charge (IC) of Borbari police outpost in Dibrugarh district of Assam, confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.
Efforts are being made to identify and apprehend more individuals involved in the racket.
“We have arrested three persons so far and are questioning them to gather more information about the racket. We will not spare anyone involved in this unethical practice,” Das stated.
AMCH superintendent Prasanta Dihingia said, “We have held numerous meetings with the administration and police regarding the issue. The brokers are active and extort large sums of money from people in need of blood. It’s a significant racket operating in the hospitals of Dibrugarh.”