Bhubaneswar, June 3: The state government today ordered a crime branch probe into the alleged kidney sale in Kandhamal district recently.

Kanhu Behera, a daily wage earner, had allegedly sold one of his kidneys to one Mahendra Patnaik of Berhampur for Rs 3.5 lakh in April. Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said his department had written to the state police authorities for asking the crime branch cops to thoroughly investigate the incident.

The health department's move came after Kandhamal district collector Yamini Sarangi had conveyed the matter to the government.

Her report stated that the kidney transplant had been done at a hospital in Sri Lanka.

Health secretary Arti Ahuja said that since the alleged incident had inter-state ramifications, the health department was constrained to conduct the inquiry and, therefore, requested the crime branch to take over the investigation.

The district administration's report said donor Behera had shown the train and flight tickets to Sri Lanka to the investigating officers.

The government was also requested to verify the authenticity of Behera's visa and passport for his Sri Lanka visit.

The state law governing organ donations for transplants allow only donation to relatives. But in this case, the donors and recipients were not relatives.

Sources said kidney transplants were being conducted in Sri Lanka, where the law governing kidney transplants was liberal.

Driven by acute poverty, Behera was forced to sell his kidney to help his family build a house. The money transaction was made between him and the recipient through a broker.

This was not the first case of unauthorised kidney sale. Earlier, two cases of kidney sale were reported in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Last year, Rashmiranjan Khatua, the alleged kingpin of the kidney sale racket, surrendered before a Cuttack court and was sent to jail.

The first incident came to light after the family members of Padmini Nayak alleged that her kidney had been removed at a hospital in Bhubaneswar. Later, investigations revealed that the donor agreed to donate one of her kidneys after being promised Rs 2.50 lakh by a woman named Sarmistha Nayak.

Mangalabag police subsequently arrested Sarmistha, who used to run a self-help group.

In another case, kidney donation was carried out illegally outside the state at Seven Hills Hospital in Vishakhapatnam. Namita Nayak of Nayak Sahi in Cuttack last year alleged that Sarmistha, who had lured her to donate a kidney in exchange of money, duped her.

Six people, including N. Prabhakar Babu, one of the directors of the Seven Hills Hospital and the brother of the recipient, were arrested in connection with the twin incidents of kidney sale racket. However, Babu was later released by the court.