Haryana team busts ‘foetal gender test on wheels’ in NCR, accused let off

Chandigarh: A Rohtak health department team busted an alleged foetal sex determination racket operating from a moving SUV in Ghaziabad's NCR region, but the main accused was later released after the local PCPNDT team allegedly failed to arrive for legal proceedings.The operation was led by Vishavjit Rathee under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme.Acting on specific inputs, the team laid a trap and apprehended Akram, a resident of Loni in Ghaziabad, who was allegedly part of a gang conducting illegal prenatal sex determination tests using a portable ultrasound machine inside a vehicle.Officials said the gang operated through a referral network across NCR, with Haryana among its major client bases.A 23-year-old pregnant woman acted as a decoy patient during the operation. Investigators said the accused asked the woman and her husband to reach a Metro station on Thursday, from where they were taken inside the SUV.Sources said Akram and two associates conducted the scan inside the moving vehicle using portable equipment. The raiding team, assisted by local police, intercepted the SUV after receiving a signal from the decoy patient.Akram was detained while the other accused escaped, abandoning the vehicle.However, officials alleged that despite waiting nearly 10 hours, the local PCPNDT team from Ghaziabad did not arrive to complete legal formalities, forcing the Rohtak team to release the detained accused."We had full support from the local police in Loni, who detained the accused and seized material, but no case could be registered as the local PNDT team did not turn up," Dr Rathee said.He added that a detailed report and seizure documents had been submitted to Rohtak deputy commissioner Sachin Gupta for further action with the Ghaziabad administration.Officials said a similar raid in Ghaziabad in Nov 2024 had also failed after the accused allegedly got prior information and escaped.MSID:: 131137744 413 |