Thrissur: Amid the Kochi police's probe into the international organ trafficking racket, an audio clip of a phone conversation revealed details of a money transaction between the organ donor and an agent. As per the leaked audio clip, an amount of Rs 16 lakh was collected from a liver recipient and shared equally between the organ donor and agents. It also exposed the involvement of a former state joint secretary of an organisation of liver donors.

In the audio, the former office-bearer was heard saying that Rs 8 lakh each was given to the donor and agents when he had received only Rs 2 lakh.

The recipient was an auto-rickshaw driver in Thrissur aged 50 years. When doctors diagnosed his liver failure, he was subjected to transplantation at a private hospital in Ernakulam. The expenses for the treatment touched Rs 25 lakh. The former office-bearer and his gang took another Rs 16 lakh from the auto driver, which was divided between the donor and the agents.

However, it is learnt that the liver donors’ state organisation expelled this office-bearer last year from the posts of state joint secretary and Thrissur district president after his role as an agent in the organ trade was revealed.

Curiously, this former office-bearer had received a liver transplant at a private hospital in Kochi in 2018. At that time, the local people had launched a fund collection drive to meet his hospital expenses. However, residents of his area say that the person is now well-off.