Baptist Christian philanthropist accused of organ trafficking

Milton Samadder, 36, a nurse and founder of a care center for the elderly and disabled, was arrested amid a media storm. Voices were raised in the Christian community to demand a fair and transparent investigation and the authorities were asked to avoid media sensationalism.

Dhaka () – Bangladesh police arrested a Baptist Christian accused of a series of serious crimes, ranging from organ trafficking to falsification of death certificates and misappropriation of donations. Milton Samadder, a 36-year-old nurse, opened a center called “Child and Old Age Care” in Mirpur in 2014, a place where people with physical and mental disabilities and the homeless can find shelter and medical care. Samadder had previously founded a nursing home services company called “Milton Home Care”, an experience that opened his eyes to the difficulties faced by the poor and sick in Bangladesh.

On Facebook, the main channel through which donations were made, Samadder has 16 million followers. Over the years she has received several awards, including the Sheikh Hasina Youth Volunteer Award, awarded to her by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 2022.

However, since April 25, the Christian has found himself in the eye of the hurricane: a local newspaper published a series of accusations against him, and the most serious is that he would be involved in the trafficking of organs, extracted directly from patients. Furthermore, always according to the media, of the 900 people who died in the centers managed by Milton, the whereabouts of 835 bodies would be unknown. The Christian has also been accused of usurpation of land in Savar – where he has another structure – financial opacity and even domestic violence against his own parents.

When the news spread, Milton Samadder denied the allegations on his Facebook page and also expressed his willingness to submit to an investigation. Following increasing media coverage, Milton was arrested on May 1. He is currently in prison awaiting legal proceedings because he was denied bail by the Dhaka City Court on May 9.

Meanwhile, the capital’s police chief investigator, Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, revealed shocking details about the matter to reporters, stating that Milton “took sadistic pleasure in mutilating individuals” under the pretext of medical care. Regarding this accusation, several doctors have raised doubts. For kidney and other organ transplants, in fact, the intervention of qualified doctors, nurses and technicians is essential, as well as modern operating rooms, elements that Milton does not seem to have had at his disposal.

Commissioner Harun-o-Rashid then explained that funds worth 18.5 million taka (about 148,000 euros) were found in Samadder’s account. According to the researchers, the donations received from publishing the centers’ activities on social networks were not always used to benefit the people housed in the same structures.

Within the Christian community, voices have been raised in defense of Milton and above all in favor of a fair and impartial investigation. Catholic journalist Aldrick Biswas defined Samadder as a Christian philanthropist and expressed the suspicion that behind the accusations lies an attempt to close centers for the disabled. Indeed, the journalist noted, people who participate in charitable activities often become easy targets.

Father Albert Rozario, parish priest of Ramna Cathedral, also went to the police headquarters and asked the authorities in charge of the case not to sensationalize the accusations and to carry out a thorough investigation. The family members also called for a transparent investigation.

Milton Samadder’s lawyer, Ohiduzzaman Biplab, says the charges are a result of complications related to on-the-ground and feasibility issues related to the structure that was built in Savar. Biplab stated that these problems have unfairly led to the media attack on his client and stressed that until now the entire matter is characterized by contradictory narratives that do not help to understand the complexity of the case.