Mid-Day Investigation | Face of kidney racket: The auto driver who now roams in a BMW

Wasim Akram, the alleged mastermind of the kidney racket and owner of Sana Travels, with his BMW. Pic/Instagram

Wasim Akram, the alleged mastermind of the nationwide kidney racket, was reportedly a rickshaw driver in 2009 in Mumbai. Today, the native of Kothi, a remote village in Bihar's Gaya district, owns a fleet of high-end vehicles and a travel firm where money is laundered, according to insiders. Local sources in Imamganj block said that Akram, in his late 30s, is popularly known as Raju Bhai in Kothi, where his joint family lives in a four-storey bungalow with at least two dozen rooms.

An illegal donor told mid-day that Akram keeps bragging about his massive network. Sources close to Akram told mid-day that he had married a bar dancer after ditching his first wife with whom he has three children. He has a three-year-old son with his second wife, who reportedly lives at a recently purchased flat in Delhi where Akram frequently visits her.

Wasim Akram, the alleged mastermind of the kidney racket and owner of Sana Travels. Pics/Instagram

"We don't know if it's true but while we were staying in a flat in Kolkata where donors are housed for months before undergoing surgery he said that his father was also into similar illegal practices. He told us that he forayed into the illegal organ trade in 2017 and built a strong nexus comprising government offices, banks, UIDAI [Unique Identification Authority of India] agents and major hospitals in Gaya district and Kolkata," said the source.

Akram travels in high-end SUVs and, on special occasions, is preceded by bouncers forming a human shield. "There are many shady characters on his team. If an illegal donor dares to walk away from the flat in the Bada Bazaar area of Kolkata, Akram uses his contacts to bring them back by hook or by crook. He probably has connections with local law enforcement agencies," said the source.

An illegal donor said, "After a person reaches Kolkata to illegally donate his or her kidney for cash, Akram's key men make proper arrangements for their stay. We have learnt that the Kolkata flat where illegal donors are made to stay before surgery belongs to Akram." "To win the trust of potential illegal donors, he [Akram] becomes friendly with them by offering them drinks and snacks. These offerings are made either weekly or fortnightly and the practice continues until the illegal donors go under the knife at Apollo Hospital in Kolkata," said the illegal donor.

Sana Travels

Sources told mid-day that Akram has been minting money by orchestrating at least five to ten illegal kidney transplants every month in Kolkata. "His agents are spread out in almost all major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Hyderabad where they lure potential kidney donors into going to Kolkata. It is surprising how the Kolkata police do not know about this racket," a source said.

Sources close to Akram said, "He has amassed a lot of wealth in the past few years. Today, he has four sports utility vehicles, two high-end motorcycles, two dumpers and around a dozen buses linked to his company, Sana Travels. He has been using the firm to launder money while also investing in the construction and dumping businesses as well as real estate."

Local sources in Gaya district told mid-day that Akram had been desperately purchasing properties in Delhi and Kolkata. "Recently, he has bought three flats in Kolkata where the illegal donors are kept while undergoing medical tests. He also owns property in Kolkata's Khidirpur area," the source said.

Lavish lifestyle

Akram often vacations abroad with his family, said a source, adding, "He has been holidaying in Bangkok with his family." "If ever he gets a whiff of danger, he flees to another country," said a source. Akram allegedly oversees a multi-layered network where there are people to alter documents, arrange for fake witnesses and take care of donors. He also takes the help of doctors, according to sources. "We aren't sure if the Kolkata police hand-in-glove with Akram or whether he is running his operation in total secrecy," said a source.

Social media presence

Akram keeps posting videos and photos on Instagram. If one visits his profile, @mr_wasimmd, one can see videos and pictures of him posing with high-end cars and motorcycles. He also does Bollywood-style voiceovers boasting about his lifestyle in detail.