An Indian doctor accused of masterminding a massive illegal kidney transplant racket was paraded by Nepali police on Friday after an international manhunt ended with his arrest in the Himalayan country.
India said it was hoping Nepal would hand over Amit Kumar, who allegedly lured or forced hundreds of poor into giving up their kidneys and made millions by selling the organs to wealthy Indians and foreigners. "I have not committed any crime," the smartly dressed Kumar shouted repeatedly when he was hauled by police to a chaotic press conference in a police station in the centre of Kathmandu.
The doctor, the subject of an Interpol alert, was detained late Thursday at a hotel in southern Nepal. Nepali police said Kumar was using Nepal as a transit point and was attempting to flee to Canada where he owns a home.
Police displayed several bundles of Indian and foreign currency they said amounted to more than 200,000 dollars as well as cheque books and three mobile phones they seized from Kumar. Nepali police said the 43-year-old fugitive was immediately charged with violating Nepal's foreign exchange laws and would appear in court on Sunday.
"We may deport him to India, but that process will begin only after he is taken to court to face currency charges," Upendra Kanta Aryal, a senior investigative police officer told reporters. Police said Kumar faced a maximum sentence of four years in prison if convicted of currency violations.