Tirupati: Madanapalle police on Tuesday detained two more suspects linked to the illegal kidney transplant racket uncovered in Annamayya district earlier this month.

Suman and Kondayya from Kadapa district, were picked up by II Town police and produced before a local court, which sent them to judicial custody.

According to DSP S Mahendra Reddy, both men worked as operation theatre assistants for Bengaluru surgeon Dr Parthasaradhi Reddy, who is believed to have conducted unauthorised kidney transplant procedures. Police say the duo helped him during surgeries carried out at Global Multi-Speciality Hospital in Madanapalle.

Investigators found that an unauthorised kidney transplant took place at the hospital on November 9. A team led by the Bengaluru doctor allegedly performed the surgery with the support of the hospital owner and Chittoor coordinator, Dr Kampa Anjaneyulu. Two women from Visakhapatnam were operated on, and one of them — 29-year-old S Yamuna — died a day later after her health worsened.

The case came to light after Yamuna’s mother, Suramma, filed a police complaint. Following this, police arrested several people, including Dr Anjaneyulu, dialysis managers from Madanapalle and Kadiri government hospitals, an agent who arranged donors and recipients, a woman who acted as a middleperson, and Yamuna’s partner Suribabu, who allegedly pushed her into the surgery.

DSP Mahendra Reddy said some suspects are still absconding. Four police teams have been sent to Goa, Karnataka and Telangana to track them down, and more arrests are likely as the probe moves forward.