Woman's husband stole her kidney over unpaid groom prize

An Indian woman has accused her husband of stealing one of her kidneys and selling it on the black market, after her family failed to pay a dowry.

Rita Sarkar, 28, claims her husband took advantage of her when she suffered appendicitis two years ago, and had the kidney removed during the operation to treat it. Mrs Sarkar says she knew nothing of her husband's crime until a few months ago, when she was hospitalised and doctors found that she was missing her right kidney.

Around two years ago, I began suffering from acute stomach ache,' Mrs Sarkar, from Murshidabad, West Bengal state told Hindustan Times.

My husband took me to a private nursing home in Kolkata, where he and the medical staff told me that I would be fine after removing my inflamed appendix through surgery.

She says that her husband-of-12-years told her not to tell anyone about the surgery, but Mrs Sarkar continued to have health issues and suffer abdominal and lower back pain.

Finally her own family took her to a hospital to try to treat the issues, which is when doctors examined her and told her she only had one kidney.

I then understood why my husband implored me to keep quiet about the surgery. He sold my kidney because my family couldn't meet his demand for dowry, Mrs Sarkar told the newspaper.

The tradition of marriage dowry, paid by the bride's family, persists in many parts of India. This despite the fact that giving or receiving a dowry has been illegal in the country since 1961. Mrs Sarkar, who has an 11-year-old son with her husband, said the dowry demand that her family had been unable to meet was for 2,000 rupee (£22.50).

Biswajit Sarkar was arrested along with his brother on Monday, and have been charged with commercial dealings in human organs.

Daily mail