Karnataka: Female foeticide ring busted, medical scanning centres raided

Mandya (K'taka): Health officials on Wednesday launched a crackdown on medical scanning centres after a large-scale female foeticide ring was exposed carrying out medical termination of female foetuses at a makeshift surgical facility set up at a jaggery factory in a remote village of Mandya district.

The raids were carried out by the Mandya District Family Welfare Officer Venkataswamy and Pandavapura Sub-division Assistant Commissioner Nandish.

They sealed scanning centres that did not comply with government guidelines and keep their records up to date.

The police recently arrested 10 people including doctors, nurses and agents, who had allegedly carried out over 900 female foeticides.

The gang used to contact pregnant women and persuade them to get a sex determination test done, for which they charged between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000, according to police.

They used to conduct the tests in the jaggery factory where all the required equipment was kept, police said

"If the tests showed a female child, they would ask those women whether they wanted to abort it. Once the women agreed, the team would charge about Rs 50,000 to do the work. At least 900 female foeticides were carried out by the gang," a senior police official said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah noted that a CID probe has been ordered into the female foeticide case.

Based on the report, stringent action will be taken against the culprits, he told reporters in the district headquarters town of Belagavi.