Ultrasound machine supplier held

Bengaluru: CID investigation in the gender identification and foeticide racket has taken an interesting turn with the arrest of a biomedical company owner, who had supplied ultrasound scanning machines to the arrested doctors.The arrested is Lakshman Gowda M, owner of Avishkara Bros Biomedical Pvt Ltd in Mangaluru. Gowda had licence to sell biomedical machines, including ultrasound/imaging under Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, to approved diagnostic centres and hospitals. During investigation, CID sleuths found that Gowda sold three scanning machines to ayurvedic doctor Mallikarjuna, also one of the accused in the case. Mallikarjuna had supplied the machines to other doctors who were performing foeticide. “If any doctor or hospital has to procure a scanning machine, permission has to be obtained from the competent authority and details of the biomedical firm from where it is being sourced. Only after the competent authority gives permission can the doctor and biomedical firm go ahead with the sale. After some time, these hospitals had returned the machines to Gowda for resale. It was during resale that Gowda illegally sold them to Mallikarjun by charging around Rs 1.5 lakh per machine,” sources said. The third machine was recovered from middleman Siddesh, a resident of Davanagere, on Thursday, who was arrested by CID.