A Greek businesswoman alleged to have been arranging kidney transplants for Greek patients at clinics in India was remanded in custody at Korydallos jail yesterday.

The suspect, who ran an Indian clothing store in Athens, is believed to have trawled Greek hospitals for kidney patients and sent them to India for operations that proved to be fatal in 10 out of 46 cases.

Her sister and a female kidney specialist, also believed to be members of the racket, were conditionally released after questioning. All three suspects, whom police traced with the help of Interpol, face a string of criminal charges including organ trading, money laundering and murder.

The doctor implicated is a kidney specialist at the capital’s Errikos Dunant Hospital. Collaborating with the two sisters, the doctor is believed to have carried out all the necessary tests on patients before sending them to India, telling them that their kidney donors were there.

The woman who was remanded is believed to have struck up a relationship with an Indian doctor after her mother underwent a successful kidney operation in India. Since then she is believed to have been seeking Greek kidney patients and convincing them to visit clinics in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, earning a profit of 10,000 euros per patient.

According to police, the patients would pay at least 40,000 euros each for the operations in India, eager to skip long waiting lists for kidney transplants at Greek hospitals.

In many cases though, according to police, the Greek patients were hospitalized again on their arrival in Greece as they developed infections after the surgery in India. The kidneys used in the operations would come from Indian donors who would receive between 1,500 and 2,000 euros for giving up their organs or be forced to undergo the operations.

According to police, some 46 Greeks have undergone illegal kidney transplants in India over the past few years.

The Greek police probe began in January after Indian police staged a crackdown on clinics around New Delhi believed to be used by hundreds of Europeans, including several Greeks.