The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, dismissed allegations of launching a manhunt for an Indian citizen, Bellamkonda Ram Prasad alias Prathapan over links to organ harvesting syndicates in Kenya.
In a statement, the DCI flagged a viral social media post which claimed that the Directorate was pursuing Ram Prasad for potential arrest and charges related to alleged orchestration of the deaths of young Kenyans.
According to the misleading post, the Indian national was the alleged mastermind behind an international human trafficking network involved in organ harvesting.
It further claimed that the Indian citizen allegedly lured mostly young men and women under the age of 30 and that he had escaped police custody in India, where he had been held for organ harvesting crimes.
“Prasad escaped police custody in India where he had been held for organ harvesting crimes. He is believed to have sneaked into Kenya on 19 December 2024 and is operating a kidney harvesting syndicate,” read the fake post.
The flagged post suggested that detectives had urged members of the public with information that could lead to the arrest of the individual in question to report to the police.
The fake social media post also alleged that the DCI would offer a cash reward to any member of the public who reported Ram Prasad’s whereabouts to them.
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DCI was forced to clarify the matter after a section of social media users raised concerns over the post, sparking fear among a section of Kenyans.
True identity of Bellamkonda Prasad
The Kenya Times has since established that Bellamkonda Prasad was arrested back in 2024 in his native country of India over an international human trafficking network involved in organ harvesting.
NDTV reported that the Indian who hails from Andhra Pradesh is said to be the kingpin in a massive organ trade racket and was arrested on June 1, 2024.
A well-known real estate entrepreneur and businessman in the Hyderabad and Vijayawada, Prasad was arrested by the Kerala police from a hotel in Hyderabad.
The 41-year-old was tasked with finding donors who would match recipients, according to police in India.
Investigations in the Nedumbassery case that surfaced in Kerala, indicated that Prasad facilitated over 60 per cent of donor matches — none of which resulted in rejection.
The police believed that he conducted preliminary testing at labs in Hyderabad to verify compatibility, a key point in transplantation.
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The man, who allegedly played a key role in the Nedumbassery case as well as other similar rackets, was taken to Kerala’s Aluva for questioning with the police zeroing in on him after questioning other suspects in the case.
Organ trafficking
Reports say Prasad roped in a large number of people in Andhra Pradesh for organ trafficking.
He was presented in court, and a production warrant was obtained and taken to Aluva.
Kaumudi Online reported that many villagers in Andhra had been used by Prasad for organ trade. Other defendants who had been arrested said that the organs were bought and sold by Indians only. The victims were transported to Iran, Cambodia and Sri Lanka for organ transplants.
Bellamkonda Prasad is reported to have also tried to sell his kidney and became the main middleman.
He contacted a middleman from Ernakulam to sell his kidney, but the sale of the organ did not take place as he was found ill during the medical examination.
The real estate businessman then joined the organ trafficking syndicate operating in the guise of a doctor from the first floor of a building at Khairatabad, a few km from Hyderabad.
He introduced himself as Dr Ram Prasad to his victims, mostly uneducated villagers.
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