Solapur: 2 Doctors arrested for conducting 36 illegal abortions

Solapur: A doctor couple has been arrested for allegedly carrying out illegal abortions at their hospital at Akluj in the district, the police said.

Dr Tejas Gandhi (42) and his wife Dr Priya were apprehended on Friday from a maternity and nursing home, run by them in Akluj, for alleged violation of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, they said.

According to the police, it is suspected that as many as 36 illegal terminations of pregnancy have taken place at their facility and in five cases, sex determination was conducted at the nursing home's sonography centre, registered under Priya Gandhi's name.

A complaint against the duo was registered by Solapur civil surgeon M R Pattanshetty at the Akluj police station.

A senior inspector at the police station Arun Sawant said the couple was arrested under relevant sections of the MTP Act and for causing miscarriage, and disappearance of evidence of the offence.

Pattanshetty told PTI that he had received information from his Satara counterpart about the illegal activities being carried out at Gandhi's hospital in Akluj.