Rs 15,000 per procedure: PHC gynaecologist, nurse held in sex determination racket

Krishnagiri: A recent decoy operation led by a special investigation team busted an illegal sex determination and abortion racket operating in the Salem district. The operation reportedly led to the arrest of a female gynaecologist, a nurse and four middlemen on Wednesday.

The special probe team, consisting of health department officials from the Salem and Krishnagiri districts, along with the police, uncovered a disturbing operation following the arrest of these six accused individuals. The investigation revealed that the gang not only illegally determined the sex of the fetus but also carried out selective fetus abortions based on client preferences.

During the raid, the team found the doctor, with the assistance of a staff nurse, revealing the sex of the fetus to three antenatal mothers. The doctor was using an ultrasound machine and charged Rs 15,000 per procedure to determine the sex of the fetus, violating the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, which strictly prohibits such practices in India.

Also read- Illegal sex determination racket busted in Rohtak, Gynaecologist among 6 others arrested

The racket came to light following a tip-off received by Krishnagiri District Collector S Dinesh Kumar about touts helping pregnant women determine the sex of their fetuses. Acting swiftly, the collector formed a special team, including city health officer Dr. G Ramesh Kumar and Kelamangalam block medical officer Dr. C Rajesh Kumar. Two doctors from the team posing as a couple initiated contact with Gautham from Rayakottai, one of the key middlemen. 

Following this, the decoy couple was introduced to Sagaya Mary of Tirupathur District around noon on Tuesday. An unidentified person, who was supposed to escort the couple to a scan centre, sought their Aadhaar cards. When they could not provide Aadhaar cards, the person redirected them to Salem district.

On Tuesday night, the ‘couple’ travelled to Salem with Gautham and Sagaya Mary, where they met the touts, Sangeetha of Dharmapuri and Ambika of Salem. They were taken to Kalaimani, a nurse at the PHC in Thedavur in the Salem district.

The final destination in this illegal operation was the Pasupathy Scan Centre in Veeranam, where the doctor identified as Dr Muthamil, a PHC doctor from Achankuttapatty, was allegedly conducting the scans.

Speaking about the operation, CHO Ramesh Kumar told TOI, "We had informed Salem district collector R Brindha Devi and Salem city police commissioner Praveen Kumar Abhinapu. The collector and the commissioner alerted Salem health department officials and the Veeranam police, respectively, to assist the Krishnagiri team. On Wednesday morning, the teams arrested these six accused and seized the ultra-sound machine used for determining the sex of fetuses."

The police then registered a case against the accused, remanded them in judicial custody and lodged them in the Salem Central Prison. An investigation in this regard is underway to identify more individuals or illegal activities involved in connection.

Also read- Karnataka Sex Determination Racket: CID names 3 doctors among 19 suspects in final report