BENGALURU: A WhatsApp message offering to buy a kidney and fraudulently identifying a well-known nephrologist from Manipal Hospitals , Dr S Sundar, as the buyer is doing the rounds, raising concerns over an organized racket using manufactured identities.Manipal Hospitals described the message, which carries the doctor’s photograph too, as a hoax that misused Dr Sundar’s name. The hospital plans to lodge a complaint with cybercrime police.The doctor was alerted by an individual who received the WhatsApp message. He got the individual to forward him a screenshot of the message and was in for a major shock. It contained his profile picture taken from the website of Manipal Hospitals, and the phone number from which it was sent was identified on the Truecaller app as that of ‘Dr Sankaran Sundar Kidney Buyer’.Sources said a group attempting to buy a kidney for commercial considerations may have tried to misuse Dr Sundar’s name, indicating that an organ transplant racket is at work. The app continued to identify the number as that of Dr Sundar but the profile picture was missing.TOI repeatedly tried contacting the number and the call was answered at 6.30pm. The person on the other end identified hismelf as Dr Sankaran Sundar from New Delhi. When asked if kidneys were available for a needy patient, he said, “I only buy kidneys and don’t sell. Do you want to sell your kidney,” the man asked before hanging up.“It appears to be a major fraud. Dr Sundar’s name is being misused. Our legal team has initiated action and a complaint will be filed with cybercrime police. We must educate and caution the public to be wary of such unethical persons spreading false messages,” said Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, chairman, Manipal Hospitals.In November 2017 Jeevasarthakathe, the state-run cadaver organ approval authority, had complained to cybercrime cops that such messages misled public and none other than Jeevasarthakathe can decide organ recipients as per the waiting list.Will follow legal team’s advice: DocDr Sundar, who’s in Kenya, said that he would personally complain to cybercrime police once he is back to Bengaluru. “It is disheartening to see such a thing happening at the fag end of my career. It is also a sign of desperation. Once I am back to Bengaluru, I plan to sue for compensation for trying to sully my name. I will go by the advice of our legal team at Manipal Hospitals,” he said.

Stay updated with all the Bangalore Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.