Illegal sex determination racket: Doctor, woman assistant sent to two-day police custody

Following tip-off, Jamalpur police had sent a decoy patient to the doctor who struck a deal of Rs 15,000 to determine the gender of her foetus

Day after a Ludhiana-based doctor and his woman associate were arrested for running an illegal sex determination racket, the duo was remanded to two-day police custody on Thursday.

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Dr Rakesh Kumar who runs Sai Clinic and his employee, Jagjit Kaur, were booked under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act at Jamalpur police station.

Mundian police post in-charge sub-inspector Harbhajan Singh said more important information is expected from the accused during questioning.

DEAL STRUCK FOR Rs 15,000

Director health services (family welfare) Prabhdeep Kaur Johal said she had got tip-off about a sex determination racket being run in the city following which a trap was laid down by a health department team headed by Gurdaspur civil surgeon Kishan Chand. “A decoy patient was prepared and a deal was struck as demanded by the illegal scan centre. As per the deal, the decoy patient was told to pay Rs 15,000 for determining the sex of the foetus,” Johal said.

As soon as the doctor started the ultrasonography to check the foetus, the team conducted a raid at the hospital and caught him. A portable ultrasound machine was recovered from the doctor along with the currency notes that were given by the department to the decoy patient. The doctor was not able to show any document regarding the registration of the ultrasound scan centre and moreover, he was found flouting other mandatory provisions under the PNDT Act.