Sex determination racket busted,3 held

Dr Yamini Adbe,member of the Pune PCPNDT cell,told The Indian Express that she received a complaint from Imran Shaikh and four-month pregnant Ayesha Shaikh from Dehu Road about Satara-based doctors being involved in illegal sex determination. A case has been registered against them also as bogus doctors,Adbe said.

Imran,whose wife Ayesha posed as a decoy in the raid,said one Dr Yashwant Satpute working at a private hospital on Dehu Road allegedly told her about the Satara doctors and the procedure to be followed by pregnant women who wanted to know the sex of the foetus.

Adbe alerted Dr Vinayak More,Deputy Director,Health,Satara,who in turn contacted the PCPNDT nodal office in Pune. Dr Asaram Khade,state PCPNDT consultant,sent a state level vigilance team along with Adbe who conducted a raid on Saturday. We gave them (Imran and Ayesha) Rs 25,000 to pay the agents who then led them to the doctors, More said.

Adbe then,along with the vigilance officers who were following the couple,caught the doctors red-handed.

Assistant Inspector S Kore of Mhaswad police station said,We have registered a case of destruction of evidence against the agent Arun Sawant,who is absconding. Further probe will throw light on how deep the racket runs.

As per the provisions of the Act,no arrests were made but the machines and equipment was sealed. Sources said probe will be done to find out if others from Pune and elsewhere have undergone tests for sex determination.