BELAGAVI: Three people, including a doctor, have been taken into custody by Maharashtra police in connection with a female foeticide racket in neighbouring Miraj taluk in Maharashtra.
The police on Wednesday arrested a doctor from Kagwad Srihari Ghodke and his assistants Umesh Salunke and Kanchana Roze were taken into custody.
According to sources, Dr Ghodke, who runs a private hospital at Kagwad, located 14 km from Miraj, was working with the main accused, Dr Babasaheb Khidrapure, of Miraj in carrying out female foeticide.
Dr Ghodke also was allegedly involved in female foeticide at his hospital, besides helping doctors of Khidrapure's hospital located at Maishal near Miraj.
The special police teams raided Dr Ghodke's hospital and recovered sonography and other equipment used to carry out illegal abortions. Police sources said Dr Ghodke had been taken to Miraj for interrogation.
The police teams have decided to question doctors from various hospitals in 13 districts neighbouring Miraj, including several in Karnataka state, to expose the network involved in female foeticide.
Another source said Dr Ramesh Devgikar from Vijayapura also has been taken into custody by Sangli police allegedly for carrying out female foeticide by keeping modern medical equipment at his hospital. The police found he too had links with Dr Khidrapure in running the racket. Maharashtra Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Agriculture Minister Sadabhau Khot visited Maishal to take stock of the situation. Mr Sawant said his government would not spare any doctor or others involved in the racket. He said doctors from 13 districts in Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh will be questioned in connection with destruction of 19 female foetuses near Miraj.
The Maharashtra government would seek the help of their counterparts in neighbouring states to ensure an effective investigation into the case, he added.
