Doctor’s Arrest in Kidney Transplant Racket Shared With COVID Spin

The arrest of a doctor involved in a decade-old kidney transplant racket is being falsely shared with a coronavirus spin.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

The arrest of a doctor involved in a decade-old kidney transplant racket is being falsely shared with a coronavirus spin. As per a viral image being circulated on social media, Delhi Police arrested a doctor who “killed 125 patients on the pretext of COVID-19” for kidney trade.

However, we found that the doctor who was first arrested in 2004 got 20-day parole in January 2020. Following this, he jumped the parole and went underground after which he was again arrested on 28 July.

CLAIM

The aforementioned claim is viral in both Hindi and English. It asserts that Dr Devendra Sharma, arrested by Delhi Police sold kidneys of patients in the garb of diagnosing coronavirus.

The claim further mentions that the doctor fed the dead bodies of patients to crocodiles to get rid of the evidence against him.

An archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

An archived version of the post can be accessed here.

An archived version of the page can be accessed here.

WHAT WE FOUND

We went through The Times Of India report being circulated along with the claim and found no mention of coronavirus. According to the report, Dr Devendra Sharma, an Ayurvedic practitioner is a serial offender who has been involved in crimes like operating a kidney racket, running a fake gas agency and sale of stolen vehicles.

Giving details of Sharma’s criminal record, the report further mentions that he was first arrested in 2004 following which he spent 16 years in jail. He got a 20-day parole for good behaviour in january 2020. However, he jumped the parole and was arrested again by the Delhi Police crime branch on 28 July.

Reports by The Indian Express and NDTV provided similar details. “They used to dump the bodies on the way to Aligarh in Hazara canal, Kasganj, which had crocodiles, and hence there was no chance of retrieval,” The Indian Express report quoted an official as saying.

Next, we reached out to DCP Rakesh Pawaria from the crime branch of Delhi Police who rubbished social media rumours and told us there is no coronavirus angle in the incident.

Evidently, the arrest of a serial offender convicted for running a kidney racket is being shared with a false coronavirus spin.

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