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Indian kidney racket fugitive held in Nepal


    KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's police have arrested an Indian man suspected of being the mastermind of an illegal kidney transplant racket in India, a top force official said.

    The racket was uncovered and made headlines in India lastmonth in the booming IT city of Gurgaon outside New Delhi, withreports that hundreds of poor labourers may have been duped orforced into donating organs to wealthy clients.

    The 40-year-old Amit Kumar was arrested at a resort inChitwan National Park, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Kathmanduon Thursday evening. Chitwan is popular among foreign touristsfor jungle safaris and wildlife watching.

    "He was sitting in the lobby of the hotel from where wearrested him," police officer Kiran Gautam said from Hetauda,the biggest town in the region.

    "He did not resist being arrested," Gautam said.

    The case was one of the largest transplant rackets reportedin India in recent years and has led to calls for thegovernment to tighten the regulation of kidney transplants tostop backstreet operations.

    Kidney failure has become more common in rich countries,often because of obesity, and a shortage of transplant organshas fuelled a black market that exploits needy donors.(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Alistair Scrutton, andDavid Fox)