Organ trafficking forgery: Kochi police SIT seeks main accused’s custody

Kochi: The special investigation team (SIT) of Kochi city police, formed to investigate the forgery racket linked to organ trafficking in the city, will seek custody of prime accused Muhammad Najeeb soon. Najeeb was in the custody of Ernakulam Rural police and was presented before a court on Monday following the expiry of the custody period. He has been remanded in judicial custody. Sources said that the city police SIT will now file a custody application to interrogate him. Sources said that the SIT has confirmed that the main bank account of Najeeb was at a bank located in Kakkanad. Preliminary investigations have revealed that transactions worth several lakhs of rupees have occurred through this account. Investigators are examining which accounts the money was transferred to and from where it originated. Investigations into Najeeb's other bank accounts have also commenced, with suspicions that he might have transferred money abroad. The custody period for Najeeb's wife Rasheeda also ended on Monday. The city police are likely to submit a custody application on Tuesday. Further questioning will be based on information obtained from examining Najeeb's financial transactions and phone call details. It was recently discovered that the organ trafficking racket led by Najeeb has been active for five years, with around 40 organ transplants conducted so far. One of Najeeb's main intermediaries, Debin Joseph from Marayoor, was arrested earlier. Joseph is currently in remand, and the investigation team plans to take him into custody as well for questioning alongside Najeeb.