Bengaluru CA Attempts Selling Kidney To Clear Debts, Incurs Loss Of Over ?6 Lakh

A chartered accountant (CA) in Bengaluru fell victim to scammers when he attempted to sell his kidney to solve his financial problems. According to reports, a man obtained contact information for persons looking for kidneys over the internet and lost almost ?6.2 lakh.

Who is the CA who fell victim to the kidney selling scam?

Bengaluru CA went online to find a kidney buyer | Image: Pexels

According to the Times of India (TOI), a man named Raj (name altered) went online to find a buyer. During his search, he came across https://kidneysuperspecialist.org. He contacted them using the phone number (9631688773) he obtained on the webpage. The website currently doesn't exist.

When he called the number, he was told to contact them via WhatsApp and provide his name, age, address, and blood group. He was advised that he would receive half of the money before his kidney was removed, with a total price of ?2 crore. Initially, scammers requested ?8,000 for registration fees and NOC, according to TOI.

What was the CA asked to do in order to sell a kidney?

He was apparently requested to pay different sums of money | Image: Pexels

He was apparently requested to pay ?20,000 to purchase a code and then ?85,000 to use it. After then, he was instructed to pay ?5 lakh for tax clearance, which would facilitate the transfer of monies to his account.

Raj became suspicious when requested to pay additional ?7.6 lakh for anti-drug and terrorist clearance papers.

When did the CA realize he has been scammed?

At this time, he contacted his superior, who confirmed that he had been duped.

"The caller, a lady, claimed to be a staffer of State Bank of India, Delhi, and wanted me to pay ?7.6 lakh for an anti-drug and terrorist clearance form. I detected something dodgy and did not make the payment. They sent me a form via email. I called my boss and a few friends. My employer advised me that it was a scam and suggested that I file a police report right away," Raj told TOI.

While speaking with TOI, Raj stated, "I wanted to pay my car's EMI, close my credit cards, and resolve other financial issues." He further stated that he was unaware that it is prohibited to sell a kidney to a stranger.

How is the issue being handled?

A case has been filed under the Information Technology Act and IPC Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property), according to the TOI.

A FIR has been filed | Representative image: Helpline Law

The police also froze the fraudsters' accounts. "We suspect the fraudsters have cheated many others similarly," a law enforcement source told TOI.

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