Female foeticide racket busted at Guesthouse, Radiologist charged Rs 15,000, paid nurse Rs 7000

Ahmedabad: A shocking case of illegal abortion has surfaced in Ahmedabad, where a former nurse and a city-based radiologist were reportedly running a female foeticide racket from a guest house in Bavla. The racket was uncovered during a raid carried out by the Ahmedabad Rural Special Operations Group (SOG).

Investigations revealed that the duo reportedly charged clients between Rs 15,000 and Rs 50,000 for the procedures, depending on their financial background. She had detailed records of individuals seeking to abort only female fetuses.  

The two key accused have been identified as Hemlata Darji, a resident of Dholka’s Shanti Nagar and Dr Harshad Acharya, who runs Aashirwad Clinic in Ahmedabad’s Odhav area. While Hemlata was caught red-handed performing an abortion without any medical qualification, Dr Acharya is accused of conducting illegal gender tests at his clinic, which is equipped with advanced diagnostic machines like digital X-ray, sonography, and mammography.

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

According to the police, Hemlata has worked as a nurse for more than a decade in private hospitals across Bavla and Dholka. Using the experience gained, she allegedly carried out unauthorised pregnancy terminations. 

A police officer told TOI that Darji and her assistant were caught along with a woman who was there for an abortion. A man was also detained who accompanied the woman. 

The illegal abortion setup was being run out of Panama Guest House in Bavla, where Hemlata had rented a room to carry out the procedures. The operation came to light after a woman named Apeksha Padhiyar and another woman, Sheela Padhiyar, were detained during one such abortion attempt. This led to a deeper investigation and the eventual arrest of the main accused.

As per Bhaskar news report, the raid by the district’s SOG team and health department officials also led to the recovery of a fetus from the scene during Hemlata's arrest. The fetus was sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination. Three other women present at the location were detained for questioning, one of whom had reportedly suffered a miscarriage.

According to officials, Hemlata admitted to having only done a nursing course and claimed to have learned abortion procedures while working with a doctor at Santokba Hospital in Dholka. Despite lacking any legal qualification, she performed terminations and charged women up to Rs 15,000 and above for each abortion, putting their lives at serious risk.

The investigation further revealed Hemlata’s connection with Dr Harshad Acharya, who knew her for many years. She would reportedly take pregnant women to his clinic for illegal sex determination tests. If a female fetus were detected, she would arrange the abortion at the guest house.

Dr Acharya, an MD in Radiology, allegedly charged Rs 15,000 per case and gave Rs 7,000 to Darji per case. According to Ahmedabad Rural police, the duo conducted 25 sex determination tests at Acharya's clinic, Ashirwad Imaging Centre in Odhav. Of these, eight fetuses were, allegedly, female. Three abortions were done at a Bavla guesthouse, and five were allegedly carried out at patients' homes.

How did Hemlata get intel about the fetuses?

As per a latest report by Daijiworld, the accused former nurse, Darji, reportedly maintained contacts with local hospitals and sonography centres to obtain information about the sex of the fetuses. Since the racket was only aimed at terminating female fetuses, she would take the woman to the accused doctor's clinic to confirm the gender of the fetus. 

The procedures involved oral medication or injectable drugs, with patients staying at the guesthouse for one to two days. “She had identified the guesthouse as a discreet location for such operations, believing it would remain unnoticed,” said an officer involved in the investigation.

Coded names for genders

Acharya, who began this illegation racket 1.5 years ago, created code names for the sex of the fetus, which he frequently used while communicating with the people to reveal the baby's gender. 

As per TOI sources, if he says ‘aashirwad (blessings)' with a smile, then it is a boy, and if he says ‘theek thai jashe (everything will become alright)' with a serious look, then it is a girl. Later, Hemlata would approach these patients and organise the pregnancy termination.

Police involved with the case confirmed that at least five female fetuses were aborted in around eight months, and suspect that there might be more. The senior officer also did not rule out the involvement of other doctors or radiologists. "The names, if any, will come to light as the investigation progresses," the officer added.

Meanwhile, the police also arrested Sachin Patel, the manager of Panama Guest House, for allowing such illegal activities on the premises. He is currently lodged in Sabarmati Jail.

Also read- Bengaluru doctor booked for performing 74 illegal abortions in 3 years