Cruel Fate: Kidney fraud victim finally returns to Nigeria after four years

Esther Theophilus travelled to India in July 2014 for a kidney transplant but got stranded there as the person who promised the transplant was part of a kidney racket.

A 24-year-old Nigerian pharmacist who was the victim of kidney fraud in 2014, has finally returned home four years after, albeit, with a sordid tale.

The victim identified as Esther Theophilus reportedly travelled to India in July 2014 for a kidney transplant but got stranded there as the person who promised the transplant was part of a kidney racket group which was disbanded by the police.

HT reports that the victim had been waiting for a kidney donor for almost four years prior to her trip.

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According to the reports, her stay in India soon became illegal as she failed to get herself registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) due to her poor health condition.

She revealed that she had arrived in Delhi in July 2014 and first visited a private hospital for treatment, but could not receive treatment there.

However, a stranger suggested that she go to Mumbai where she would find a donor.

Unfortunately, months passed and Theophilus was unable to find a donor.

“I came across a person who assured me a kidney and demanded $50,000. I didn’t have so much money, so I kept looking for a generous donor but never found one,” said Theophilus.

Theophilus later discovered that the person she had paid for a kidney was probably part of one the many kidney racket group busted by the police in the country.

Police sources revealed that she lost a huge amount to the fraudster.

During her prolonged stay in India, the victim's diabetic mother passed away while she awaited her daughter's return.

With the hope of seeing her mother one last time, Theophilus approached the Mumbai police to aid her return to Nigeria.

She said, “My experience in India had been awful, especially the lengthy medical and legal systems. But unlike others, the police were very polite. They didn’t victimise me.”

However, the police reportedly found it difficult to process her request, seeing as she has been living in the country illegally for four years.

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Thankfully, the police assisted in her application for (exit certificate) on humanitarian grounds since her family had not yet buried her mother.

Theophilus was finally issued an exit permit on Thursday and flew out on Friday morning, March 23, 2018.

Reports have revealed that a major kidney racket was busted in city’s Hiranandani hospital, in the last quarter of the 2016.

Following this development, many groups operating illegal kidney rackets have been forced to go underground.