India
Chhattisgarh Man Arrested After Killing Cousin’s 4‑Year‑Old Son to Sell Organs
A 27‑year‑old man from Chhattisgarh, identified as Basudev alias Tangnu, was arrested after police found the body of his cousin’s four‑year‑old son in a pit near a maize field in Lodhenapath Mahua village, Jashpur district. The boy’s father, Ramjeet Ram, 36, reported his son missing on November 7, after the child had been absent since November 5. Ramjeet had moved with his family to Sanna village about a year earlier in search of work and lived in a hut near the Aamatchua river dam. Basudev, a resident of nearby Chalni Gorrapath village, had frequently visited the family.
During a search for the child, Ramjeet discovered the body wrapped in a blanket and quilt, stuffed inside a sack and partially buried in a water‑filled pit. Police recovered the body, a plastic bucket containing the removed kidneys, lungs and eyes, and other items used in the murder.
According to Jashpur Senior Superintendent of Police Lal Umed Singh, Basudev confessed to the crime during questioning. He said he was dissatisfied with his earnings from daily wage work and sought ways to make quick money. Police allege that he had been browsing social media for ideas on how to earn fast cash and had conceived the plan to extract and sell body parts of young children.
On November 5, Basudev allegedly lured the boy away, bought liquor and chicken, and forced the child to consume alcohol. When the boy fell asleep, Basudev slit his throat with a knife, opened his body and removed the kidneys, lungs and eyes. He kept the organs in a plastic bucket, wrapped the body in a blanket and quilt, placed it in a sack and dumped it in the pit before covering it with soil.
Police are continuing their investigation. The case has drawn attention to a similar incident in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, where a teenage boy was murdered in August as part of a plan to sell his body parts for money. In that case, two adults and three minors were arrested, but investigators found no evidence of an organised market for human organs.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns about illegal organ trade schemes in India.