A chartered accountant who tried to sell his kidney to clear old debts found himself in further financial trouble after he was scammed out of Rs 6.2 lakh. According to a report in the Times of India, the Bengaluru-based chartered accountant was looking for a way to clear his debts when he decided to sell one of his kidneys.

In his complaint to Central CEN Crime Police on February 28, Raghuvaran (name changed) said he searched online for people who might need a kidney donor. During the course of his search, he stumbled upon a website -- www.kidneysuperspecialist.org -- where he found a contact number, which he called for more information.

The man who received Raghuvaran's phone call asked him to share basic details like his name, age and blood group over WhatsApp. When the 46-year-old chartered account informed the receiver that his blood group is AB negative, the scammers said he could get Rs 2 crore by selling one of his kidneys. They also said that half of the amount would be paid in advance.

Taken in by what looked like a lucrative deal, Raghuvaran sent his ID proof like Aadhaar and PAN card to the email address he was given -- doctordineshkullar@gmail.com.

"Initially, they asked me to pay Rs 8,000 for NOC and registration fee. Later, they told me to pay Rs 20,000 to purchase a code. The next day, they asked me to pay Rs 85,000 to operate the code," the Bengaluru man said.

On March 2, the fraudsters asked Raghuvaran to pay Rs 5 lakh for tax clearance so the funds could be transferred to his account. He continued to follow instructions, still oblivious that he was being scammed. Alarm bells only started ringing when a woman, claiming to be an employee of the State Bank of India, asked Raghuvaran to transfer Rs 7.6 lakh to get anti-drug and terrorist clearance form.

"I suspected something fishy and didn't make the payment. They had sent me a form by email. I called my boss and a few friends. My boss informed me it was a scam and suggested that I immediately lodge a police complaint," Raghuvaran told Times of India.

"I wanted to pay my car's EMI, close my credit cards and solve other financial issues," he said, claiming he did not know that selling kidneys to strangers is illegal.

A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and IPC Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property) while the scammers' bank accounts have been freezed.