Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
Police have arrested 5 people for their alleged involvement in a kidney-smuggling racket said to be operating from India.
Chitwan police arrested Durga Bahadur Darji, 41, Bikram Pahari, 35, Prakash Tamang, Deepak Limbu, 34, and Bishal Nepali, 28, from different parts of the district on different dates, Deputy Superintendent of Police Prabhu Prasad Dhakal of District Police Office said on Sunday.
The kidney smugglers allegedly lure poor people to hospitals in India to have their kidneys removed and sold.
"We arrested these men following a complaint that a group had been luring people in remote villages into selling their kidneys by taking them to Delhi," the DSP said.
Police filed a formal case against the suspects after one man came forward and confirmed that the five men had taken him to Delhi to harvest his kidney.
"We have found out that these kidney racketeers find prospective candidates from rural areas and make them undergo preliminary medical tests in Nepal before taking them to Delhi. The incident came to light after one such candidate escaped from Delhi and contacted us," DSP Dhakal said.
Superintendent of Police Sushil Singh Rathore said the arrested suspects used to earn Rs 50,000 for every donor.
"These men were lured by the prospect of earning quick money. Since kidney recipients are paying up to Rs 3.7 million for the organ in India, we suspect that these suspects are part of an international kidney harvesting racket," SP Rathore added.
The five men could be charged under the Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act. If convicted, the five could each face a jail sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of 200,000 Nepali rupees.
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