Police teams from Ghaziabad and Sonipat busted a pre-natal sex determination racket operating within the premises of Shiva Ultrasound, a registered center in Ghaziabad.
The accused had allegedly been facilitating couples from Haryana and neighboring states for illicit sex determination tests, charging a hefty fee of Rs. 30,000.
After getting a tip-off regarding the involvement of a tout, the authorities employed an 11-week pregnant woman from Sonipat as a decoy to arrest the middleman. The middleman allegedly trapped couples from Haryana and other adjacent states to bring them to Shiva Ultrasound for an illegal ultrasound.
Police held the accused middleman with two other accomplices on Wednesday. Now, the trio faces charges under various sections, including Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 420 for cheating, 120B for criminal conspiracy, and relevant provisions of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act, 1994, as well as the National Medical Commission Act.
A nodal officer of Pre-Conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques, CMO Dr. Charan Singh, told the TOI that they were notified by a Sonipat health department team about an ultrasound center carrying gender tests in Loni. Their records showed that the ultrasound center was registered in the name of one Anita Mishra, who submitted a medical certificate from K. K. Phukan, a sonologist. When they tried to reach Phukan at the phone number mentioned in the documents, they were not able to connect with him.
As per the plan, on Wednesday, a team of Sonipat police, including three doctors and supporting staff, traveled to Baghpat with the fake patient.
Dr. Singh, highlighting the prevalence of such centers, noted that Ghaziabad alone has 369 registered ultrasound centers, with 35 situated in Loni. Vivek Yadav, DCP (Rural), emphasized the seriousness of the charges and the legal actions taken against the accused. Health officials disclosed that numerous such illegal operations were conducted from residences in congested areas of Ghaziabad, Noida, Hapur, and Saharanpur.
The accused often employ illegal portable ultrasound machines due to their cost-effectiveness, simplicity, and accessibility. These illegal practices target expecting mothers, charging them substantial amounts ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 under the guise of gender determination tests.
Given the proximity of Loni to Haryana, a state grappling with a skewed sex ratio, officials suspect that numerous women from Haryana are sent to these illicit centers for sex determination tests. As per the government records, in 2022, Haryana reported 917 female births per 1,000 males, further highlighting the need to crack down on such illegal activities.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi/MSM)