Three Colombo-based hospitals are suspected to be involved in an international kidney racket recently uncovered in Telangana, India Today said.

The kidney racket was busted in Nalgonda district of Telangana. The kingpin is a 22-year-old hotel management student. He initially sold his own kidney for Indian Rs 500,000 in December 2014 and the transplant took place in Colombo, India Today said.

Realising this is a lucrative business, this student turned organ trafficking agent himself. He used social media to lure 15 others to give their kidney. He himself led a lavish lifestyle with the money he gathered.

Clients were charged up to Indian Rs 2.7 million for each kidney, the donor got Rs 500,000. The rest of the money was shared between hospitals in Colombo and trafficking agents from Telangana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, India Today further said. And the remaining money was for the travel, accommodation and medical tests.

(India Today)