PATNA: The recovery of 44 packets of blood from a house under Patrakar Nagar police station area on Saturday exposed the rampant illegal trade in connivance with private health centres in Patna. A health department official said on Sunday that the drug inspectors would be asked to raid the places in their respective districts to nab those involved in selling blood illegally.
The racket came to light after Santosh Kumar and Ajay Diwedi were arrested near Mahavir Mandir on Friday with 10 gold lockets snatched from children. The police raided Santosh's house at Road number 1 of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar under Patrakar Nagar police station area on Saturday and found the fridge filled with the blood packets.
"This is surprising that a person involved in snatching and looting gold chains was also selling blood illegally. The department is trying to find out the place from where they got the bags," the official said, adding that the blood packets had been sent to the civil surgeon's office for proper storage.
Patna SSP Manavjeet Singh Dhillon said these criminals used to identify needy and poor people near Mahavir Mandir and lure them for money in exchange of blood. Dhillon said Santosh had done a course of lab technician and possessed the equipment required for taking blood. He used to pay around Rs500 to a donor and sell the blood with the help of touts at around Rs1500, at least.
Since it comes under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, police roped in the health department for further investigation. "We are trying to nab others in this nexus," Dhillon added.
"A parallel business of illegal blood is going on in the state capital. Blood bags are not sold in the open market. Hence, officials should find out as to which health institute were these packets sold," said a social worker in the field of blood donation.
He said one blood packet is sold between Rs2000 and Rs3,000, depending on the blood group and need of the people. The gangs carry fake receipts and transfuse blood without primary tests required. Sometimes when the family manages the blood, hospital staff compel the family to purchase from touts as the one they brought was of poor quality.
"You can easily find touts near the Red Cross building and big hospitals like PMCH as well as outside the private hospitals. They have a nexus and also target people who come from other districts and buy blood from them for around Rs500. Rare group like A negative, B negative and AB negative is sold at higher rates," a doctor said.
He said the touts are in touch with hospital technicians and inform them about the availability of the rare blood group. "Documentation of blood transfusion and place from where the blood has been procured should be made mandatory in private hospitals to curb this menace," he added.
