Nalasopara man arrested for selling abortion pills to doctors, medical stores

42-year-old medical representative arrested in Mumbai for selling abortion pills illegally to doctors and medical stores, leading to hiked prices in the black market.

MUMBAI: The Waliv police have arrested a 42-year-old medical representative for allegedly selling abortion pills to doctors, medical stores and quacks who sold them at hiked prices in the black market.

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The police had received a tip-off that Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) kits were being sold illegally by doctors and medical stores in the city. Based on the information, they raided the home of Ajit Pandey, a pharmaceutical marketing executive, at Shirdi Nagar in Nalasopara.

The police recovered 30 boxes of abortion tablets worth ₹1.30 lakh, which he was about to sell in the black market. Each kit, containing five pills, is priced at ₹60, but they were being sold in the black market for ₹5,000-10,000.

Pandey was arrested after the police found that he did not have a valid licence to sell drugs. During his questioning, he allegedly told the police that the pills were being sold to medical stores and private doctors.

Based on the information, drugs inspector Kishore Ranjane filed a complaint against Pandey under various sections of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. During the investigation, the police learnt the pills were being manufactured in Pune and then transported to Uttar Pradesh.

Pandey, who is a native of UP, used to get the pills from there and sell it to doctors and medical stores. “To avoid defamation, women take abortion pills obtained through illegal means, but it is dangerous. Women should consult a legitimate gynaecologist before consuming the pills,” said Dr Bhakti Choudhary, medical health officer at the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation.

“Several doctors in Vasai-Virar carry out illegal abortions of women who are underage or who do not want a child and cannot go through proper channels,” said a police officer from the Waliv police station. “The doctors and medical store owners take advantage of such women and sell them the drugs or administer them at hiked prices despite being aware that the pills might be harmful to the women.”

Jairaj Ranaware, senior police inspector at the Waliv police station, said, “We were alerted by the drugs inspector after which he raided Pandey’s house and arrested him. We are now trying to find out the list of clients of Pandey who used to buy the pills from him.”

The police suspect that many quacks or people who fraudulently pretend to be doctors could be selling these drugs to women and conducting illegal abortions.