Chemist arrested for illegal sale of kits to end pregnancy

A team from the chief minister’s flying squad, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and the health department jointly raided a chemist shop in Sohna on Tuesday and arrested the shop owner for allegedly selling medical kits for abortion illegally

A team from the chief minister’s flying squad, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and the health department jointly raided a chemist shop in Sohna on Tuesday and arrested the shop owner for allegedly selling medical kits for abortion illegally. Officials said the shop owner, identified as Nafiz (known by his first name), was also found supplying the kits to quacks in the area.

The chemist’s shop in Sohna was sealed after the raid. (Sourced)

Police said Nafiz was caught with five medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits. The kits were allegedly used to abort the foetus of girl children in the region, said police.

According to police, they had received a tip-off on Monday that abortion drugs were being bought and sold illegally without bill and prescription from a registered pharmacy, following which teams were formed and a raid conducted.

Inderjeet Yadav, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) with the CM’s flying squad, said they received many tip-offs in the last one week from Sohna that chemists were illegally selling MTP kits and sedatives. “A joint team was formed after conducting a recce of the area and identifying the chemist shop. A decoy customer was sent to the chemist shop, who bought an MTP kit... The team caught the chemist red-handed,” he said.

Yadav said there are a few more chemist shops in the area allegedly involved in the illegal sale of MTP kits but they are yet to identify them. “The abortion drugs were being bought and sold illegally without bill and prescription from a tout...The chemist also used to get a share from the sale,” he said.

Dr Mandeep Mann, who led the raid, said they have sealed the pharmacy and will write to the state health department to cancel the chemist’s licence. “There are more shops in the area involved in the illegal sale of MTP kits and other medicines used for addiction purposes,” he said.

The samples have been sent to FDA for tests and a case has been registered against the chemist under relevant sections of the IPC and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act at Sohna City police station , said police.