Esther Theophilus will take a flight to her country on Friday.(HT Photo)
A 24-year-old Nigerian woman, who had come to India in July 2014
for a kidney transplant, has been stuck here ever since. The reason: a
person who promised the transplant was part of a kidney racket.
Esther Theophilus, a pharmacist, has been futilely waiting for a
kidney donor for nearly four years. Her stay in the country has also
became illegal as she failed to get herself registered with the
Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) owing to her poor health.
While Theophilus hoped to receive kidneys and return home to meet her
mother. But her diabetic mother passed away more than a month ago.
Hoping to see her mother one last time, Theophilus approached the
Mumbai police to help her return to Nigeria at the earliest. But it was
difficult for cops to process her request as she has illegally been
living in the country for four years. However, the police expedited her
application for (exit certificate) on humanitarian grounds as her family
has not performed her mother’s last rites. The police finally issued
her an exit permit to Theophilus on Thursday.
Though she was highly upset and frustrated with the lengthy
procedure, she was overwhelmed by the Mumbai police’s gesture. She
thanked officials in the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO)
and plan to fly back to her country on Friday morning.
“On humanitarian grounds, we expedited the procedure to ensure that she returns to her country and attend her mother’s funeral,” said Supriya Yadav-Patil, deputy commissioner of police (SB2- FRRO).
Theophilus 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.”
Theophilus, who is a kidney patient, is married to an Australian
national. She arrived in Delhi in July 2014 and first visited a private
hospital for treatment, but could not be treated there. A person then
suggested her to go to Mumbai where she would definitely find some
donor. Months had passed, but she could not get 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.
Meanwhile in the last quarter of the 2016, a major kidney racket
was busted in city’s Hiranandani hospital. After this development many
groups operating illegal kidney rackets went underground. Theophilus
then got to know that the person she had given money to for a kidney was
probably part of one such group. She lost a huge amount to this
fraudster, police sources said.
“Theophilus fell victim to an international organ harvesting
fraud. Her condition was deteriorating rapidly. FRRO officials ensured
she goes home as early as possible,” said her lawyer Tushar Lavhate
The police decided to help her with exit papers after she narrated her ordeal.
-Culled from HindustanTimes
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