3 arrested for running illegal sex determination racket in Tamil Nadu

Salem: A five-member special medical team from the Krishnagiri and Salem districts have busted a mobile illegal prenatal sex-determination racket operating at Vazhapadi in Salem. Using a decoy operation, the team arrested three individuals under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. 

According to the officials, the prime accused, who has studied only up to Class 12, learned to operate an ultrasound machine by watching YouTube videos. He reportedly purchased an old scan machine from Mettupalayam, installed it inside a car, and travelled across Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, and Villupuram to allegedly conduct illegal scans.

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Acting on a tip-off, district health officials from Salem and Krishnagiri launched surveillance in Belur near Vazhapadi during the early hours of Tuesday. The team located the suspicious vehicle parked behind a hall and traced the operation to a nearby rented house.

According to news reports, inside the house, the accused was caught red-handed while performing an illegal sex determination scan on three pregnant women from different districts. The team also arrested the intermediary from Vazhapadi and the house owner of the rented premises.

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A 34-year-old antenatal mother from Dharmapuri—who already had two daughters—and a 25-year-old antenatal woman were also instructed to wait at the bus stand. They were later asked to board a bus to Vazhapadi, with the team closely following them. The accused took the women to Belur, where the team intercepted the car and made the arrests.

Ramesh Kumar further stated that a 27-year-old antenatal mother from Chinnasalem had also arrived at the house for sex determination.