Chennai, May 25 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Special Police have taken into custody a few people believed to be close associates of Sabith Nasar (30), the main accused in the Kerala kidney racket operating across countries.

Sources in Tamil Nadu Police told IANS that they had zeroed in on a few people who were associated with the accused Sabith but refrained from divulging more details.

Sabith Nasar, a native of Thrissur in Kerala, was arrested by Kerala Police at Cochin International Airport on May 19 while he was returning from Iran, on the allegation that he was part of a major international kidney racket based out of Iran.

The arrest followed tip-offs from Central intelligence agencies that were tracking the regular travels of Sabith to Iran and other west Asian countries.

On questioning, the accused admitted that he had taken around 20 persons to Iran for kidney transplants and for that, he received Rs 5 lakh per head. He also said that he had paid money to the donors ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh.

However, the Kerala police team has not taken into account his statement and believes that more people were taken to Iran by the accused and his accomplices.

While Sabith informed the police that donors were from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and some other north Indian states, Tamil Nadu police constituted a special team and conducted a probe across the state. All the district Superintendents of Police were directed to conduct detailed feedback from all respective police stations on missing person cases and, also on the present antecedents of people who were arrested in criminal cases and later acquitted.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu Police told IANS that a few people from Tamil Nadu close to the Kerala border in Coimbatore and Pollachi are being questioned regarding their association with Sabith Nasar, and it is being ascertained whether these people were engaged as agents to procure people from Tamil Nadu for the organ trade racket.