BENGALURU: The Baiyappanahalli police have arrested five people, including two doctors, for running a sex-determination racket and aborting female fetuses. The accused were involved in the illegal activity for over two years, and 22-25 abortions were allegedly carried out every month at Matha Hospital in Mysuru.
The police in October arrested four people who allegedly used to approach pregnant women and take them to Mandya, where they had a medical setup inside a jaggery factory to determine sex of unborn children. After determining sex, the accused would take the patients to Mysuru to carry out abortions.
The police said the accused have been identified as Dr Tulsi Ram, Dr Chandan Ballal, Meena, Rizma, and Nissar, who operated the racket in a coordinated manner. Dr Ram, the owner of Matha Hospital had reportedly handed over the charge of the hospital to his associate, Dr Ballal, who was managing the facility with his wife, Meena, as the former had to go back to his hometown Chennai for some time.
Expanding their illegal ventures, Dr Ballal opened Ayurvedic Piles Daycare Hospital in Mysuru, where Rizma worked as a receptionist, while Meena was associated with the administration of Matha Hospital. Moreover, Nissar, a lab technician, assisted the doctors at both hospitals, the police added.
For each abortion, the accused charged Rs 25,000, the police said, explaining, Rizma and Meena were in contact with Veeresh, Nayan Kumar, Siddesh, and Shivalinge Gowda, who were previously arrested to ensure smooth operations from conducting tests in Mandya to performing abortions in Mysuru. The Baiyappanahalli police have registered a case.