Calcutta, Aug. 6: Basudev Saha targeted his preys when they were at their most vulnerable, ready to listen to anyone who promised easy hospital admission for a sick relative.

Want a free bed at a reputable private hospital? Saha would help you out. But you had better leave your wrist-watch and gold chain with him before you spoke to the clerk: after all, you had to look like you were hard up.

Last Thursday, Ajay Kumar from Deogarh needed a cabin at a nursing home for his mother.

No problem, Saha was ready to not only secure admission but also to deposit the security if Ajay would hand him over the money.

Only, Ajay had a friend who knew a thing or two about hospital admissions, and Saha’s luck ran out.

Police believe that a racket operates around some of the city’s top hospitals, swindling patients’ families and friends. They believe they can get Saha to spill the beans about the entire gang.

Saha, 45, has already confessed, sources said, that over the past one year, he had duped several families at SSKM and many reputable private hospitals.

“Saha is a resident of Domkol in Murshidabad. He spends his nights in the city at the ‘night-halt centre’ at SSKM,” said Gana Nath Mukherjee, the Shakespeare Sarani officer-in-charge.

Saha would go about his job methodically, spotting “parties” from their appearance and setting himself to winning their trust.

Ajay Kumar, who had arrived in a cab with his mother and begun looking around for the counter, had “party” written all over him. Or so it seemed to Saha.

He walked up to the duo, greeted them and helped Ajay’s mother, who has a kidney problem, to a chair.

“He did not know that the Kumars had entrusted a fellow villager, Rajesh Panda, with the job of making all the arrangements for admission before the mother and son arrived at the clinic,” said an officer.

“Panda had reached Calcutta a few days ago, checked into a hotel and done all the groundwork so that the Kumars would face no hassles.”

But Panda was a little late in arriving and Saha was already “helping out” the family. He filled in the admission form, spoke to the officials and got Asha Devi admitted to a cabin on the fifth floor.

Then he casually asked for a security deposit of Rs 200 from Ajay. Once he had pocketed the money, he walked out of the hospital.

It is just then that Panda arrived. He got suspicious when Kumar told him about the security money. The two ran out and caught Saha just outside the gate.