Illegal blood trade flourishes in Uttar Pradesh
Huge presence of adulterated blood trade in Uttar Pradesh has once again come to the fore with the arrest of members of a 'blood sucking' gang, including a doctor, that lured drug addicts, labourers and rickshaw pullers into donating their blood to sell it at exhorbitant prices.
The police, based on a tip-off, arrested the doctor, Dr Mukesh Tandon of Dayal Nursing Home, “blood collection” agents of the gang, chemists and a few nursing home owners. They are now on the lookout for another doctor and a few other gang members.
According to the police, the “collection agents” of the gang used to approach labourers, drug addicts and rickshaw pullers and lure them into “donating” their blood for a paltry sum. “There were around 100 such donors who used to donate blood every fortnight,” police said. They would be paid a pittance of Rs 150 per unit of blood, which would inturn be sold for Rs 1,500.
The agents used to take the donors to a hideout where the blood was collected in plastic bags, mixed with some chemicals and kept in ice in pressure cookers. According to experts, chances of contamination were high in such a method of collection and storage.
