Hari Narayan Syangtan was arrested for selling 75 human kidneys by the Valley Crime Investigation Office. For the past five years the Sarlahi native lived in Chabahil while conducting a racket that involved doctors in India
and Nepal.

In custody the 39-year-old confessed that together with his wife he convinced menial workers into having their organs removed in Indian hospitals. Detailed papers seized from Syangtan show he obtained medical recommendations for kidney transplants from highly reputed nephrologists including Dr Rishi Raj Khafle of the National Kidney Centre, Dr Pushkar Raj Satyal of Bir Hospital and Blue Cross Nursing Home, Dr Pramod Chhetri of Sidhartha Apollo Hospital and Dr Manoj Bhattarai of Chhetrapati Poly Clinic. Written proof from these medical institutions sanctioning transplants were also recovered. In India Syangtan took them to MITO Hospital and Santosh Hospital at Madras, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Chandigarh and PGI Hospital in Lucknow for the procedures.

Under the guise of routine check-ups and X-rays, doctors working with Syangtan would tell the often unsuspecting patient that a kidney was defunct needed to be removed. The freshly obtained kidney would then be given to a genuine recipient. A healthy kidney is priced at Rs 300 thousand on the black market. The donor receives one third and the rest is divided among the network that procures the sale.

Syangtan told police that there are five such 'gangs' selling kidneys in Nepal but could not give details on who or where these groups could be found. From his meticulous records, the police obtained the particulars and photos of all 75 donors and recipients, as well as details about the Indian hospitals where the operations
took place.

Bachhu Damai and Dambar Gurung were among those who sold their kidneys. They were paid less than what was discussed initially with Syangtan but were afraid to go to the police because the law prohibits selling organs.