₹20,000 for female foeticide: Men behind abortion deal sting already booked in two cases

Police records show the Patiala men had been booked in Punjab and Haryana on extortion charges over the past five years

The men who registered a complaint against Panchkula civil hospital gynaecologist Dr Poonam Bhargav and her peon Baljinder Kaur for allegedly striking an abortion deal were part of a gang that carried out sting operations to blackmail doctors.

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Police records show that the gang to which the complainants were affiliated had been booked in Karnal in Haryana, and Sangrur in Punjab, on charges of criminal conspiracy, extortion and cheating. Bhargav, in her bail application, has alleged that the men who filmed the video had demanded ₹10 lakh from her. Orders pertaining to the anticipatory bail plea of the doctor and the peon will be given on Friday.

On February 20, the Panchkula civil surgeon had received video clippings where Bhargav could be seen striking a deal with two Patiala-based men. — Amandeep Singh and Vinay Arora. In the videos, Bhargav was seen agreeing to abort a female foetus for ₹20,000. Both Bhargav and Kaur are on the run.

Demanded ₹5 lakh from neurosurgeon

On March 14, 2018 an FIR was lodged against the gang members in Karnal on the complaint of a neurosurgeon who had alleged that five to six persons had extorted ₹5 lakh from him by threatening to release a video of the hospital staff handing out abortion medicines to a woman. The FIR stated that the gang threatened to air the video on their TV channel unless he agreed to their terms.

Defence counsel Parmod Bhardwaj, who represents Bhargav, said, “Both the complainants in this case had been booked earlier for carrying out similar stings. They have also been arrested. Trial is underway in the cases.”

Demanded ₹3.8l from Bhawanigarh-based doctor

In April 2015, the gang was booked on the complaint of a doctor based in Bhawanigarh town in Sangrur. The doctor had alleged that the gang had asked him to carry out an abortion procedure and then approached him with a recording of their conversation the next day. The gang claimed to be reporters and threatened to air the video on television.

The doctor and the gang had decided to settle the matter for ₹3.8 lakh, of which ₹2 lakh was paid outright and ₹1.8 lakh was paid later. The matter was reported to the police later.

Days after the FIR was registered, police busted a gang of eight extortionists, including two women, who allegedly blackmailed doctors after asking them to abort a woman’s child. Amandeep was one of the eight gang members.

SIT formed

The police have formed a special investigating team (SIT) to probe the matter. The investigation is being headed by assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Noopur Bishnoi. The Sector-5 station house officer, a woman sub-inspector, a crime branch inspector and in-charge of the Sector-7 police post, who is also the investigating officer are its members. It has been established that the woman who accompanied the men was not pregnant and was part of the sting operation.

“ The statement of the woman who accompanied the complainants has been recorded as part of the investigation,” the ACP said.

“The woman said that she and her accomplices had received information about an abortion being carried out by a doctor after which they planned to carry out a sting operation,” said an official, requesting anonymity. Police said an investigation will be conducted against the complainants after evidence came up against them. An official said people carry out such stings to expose doctors as they get a reward from government.