She sold her kidney 3 years ago; now tout demands children’s kidneys

Bengaluru: A woman from Magadi, Ramanagara, on Bengaluru's outskirts, has accused a man of harassing her and pressuring her to sell her children’s kidneys, police officials said on Friday.

The Magadi police registered an FIR on Thursday based on a complaint by Geetha, 40, a daily wage worker and widow.

The FIR stated that Geetha, burdened by financial struggles including her children’s education and her late husband’s medical expenses, met the suspect, Manjanna alias Manjunath, five to six years ago.

Three years ago, Geetha reportedly sold her kidney through Manjanna at a reputed Bengaluru hospital and claimed she received Rs 2.5 lakh. Recently, Manjanna allegedly began visiting her home, demanding she sell her children’s kidneys. Upon her refusal, he insisted she return the Rs 2.5 lakh and allegedly issued threats.

Geetha also alleged that another woman from her village, Shantamma, 50, sold her kidney through Manjanna seven years ago due to financial distress.

The police registered the case under Section 308(2) (extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Senior officers refuted connections between this case and recent micro-financing harassment reports and denied the presence of an active kidney-selling racket in Magadi.

Ramanagara and Magadi have witnessed illegal renal transplant cases in the past, with several rackets busted by the district police.