MYSURU: In a meticulously planned operation using a decoy, officials of the Mandya and Mysuru District Health and Family Welfare Department busted a foetal sex determination and abortion racket being run from a bungalow on the outskirts of Mysuru, leading to the arrest of three people.
The operation was led by Dr Mohan, District Health Officer (DHO) of Mandya, with the assistance of Mysuru DHO Dr C Kumaraswamy following specific intelligence about a middleman arranging illegal sex determination tests. Speaking to tnie, Dr Mohan revealed that the operation was launched after a pregnant woman reported late for her health checkup at a primary health care centre in Nagamangala taluk of Mandya.
“Her delay in obtaining the ‘taayi card’ raised suspicions. She revealed that she had previously given birth to a girl and wanted a boy this time and said she had undergone a sex determination test in Mysuru.”
Acting on this tip-off and obtaining a contact number, they devised a decoy operation with the help of another pregnant woman.
The decoy contacted a middleman named Swamy, explaining that she already had two daughters and was unwilling to have another girl. He agreed to help, instructing her to be present near Teresian College in Mysuru.
“He had offered to arrange a fetal sex determination scan for a fee of Rs 30,000 which included scanning for sex determination and abortion,” the DHO said. Around 12 noon on Wednesday, Swamy picked up the decoy and drove towards Mellahalli Circle before heading to Hunuganahalli village.
Around 3 pm, the team raided a newly built bungalow ‘Shivananda Paramahamsa Nilaya’ where they found the decoy and several other pregnant women. It was revealed that the house owner, Shyamala, a trained nurse, was allegedly running the illegal operation with the help of her husband and an associate. Medical instruments, syringes, abortion pills, and hospital records linked to the Mysuru-based private hospital were seized.
Mysuru DHO Dr Kumaraswamy urged police to take strict action. Sources said that a person who had previously been involved in a similar sex detection racket in Mandya and who is currently on bail, is the mastermind behind this gang as well and his movements are being tracked.
