Nepal ? The alleged mastermind of a shadowy organ transplant operation in India that illegally removed hundreds of kidneys – sometimes from unwilling donors – has been arrested at a jungle resort in southern Nepal, an official said today.

The international manhunt for the fugitive doctor, Amit Kumar, ended Thursday night when Nepalese police arrested him in Chitwan, 100 miles south of the capital Katmandu, said local police chief Kiran Gautam. He was found with $230,000 in cash and a check for $24,000.

Local news reports say he was identified by a hotel employee who recognized him from Indian television broadcasts seen in Nepal.

Indian police say Kumar was the mastermind of an illegal organ-trade operation based in Gurgaon, an upscale New Delhi suburb.

Authorities believe up to 500 kidneys were sold to clients who traveled to India from around the world over the past nine years. Some unwilling donors – often barely literate day laborers – were held at gunpoint before their organs were harvested.

Kumar was being transferred to Katmandu later today for further investigation.