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Kolhapur police arrest six more in sex determination racket; cross-border link suspected
Kolhapur police arrested six in a sex determination racket, including hospital staff, amid a probe into a suspected inter-state network.
Kolhapur police have arrested six more persons, including two hospital staffers and four agents, in an alleged sex determination racket, intensifying the probe into a suspected inter-state network, officials said on Friday.
The accused are Manisha Kamble (35) from Radhanagari and Nanda Gurav (42) from Kagal, both employees of Shraddha Women’s and Multispeciality Hospital in Bidri, Kagal. The others arrested are Bajirao Tikode (60) from Bhudargad; Vikram Patil (40) from Bidri, Kagal; Sukhdev alias Popat Pandurang Patil (40) from Kagal; and Sunil Gurav from Radhanagari in Kolhapur district.
All six were arrested on Thursday and remanded to police custody till Monday. On Friday, four more persons were detained and are being interrogated.
The arrests follow a raid conducted around 9 pm on Monday at Shraddha Hospital in Bidri. Police said an agent, Sambhaji Shinde (45) from Borwade in Kagal taluka, contacted a decoy and claimed he could arrange sex determination through Dr Yuvraj Patil for ₹22,000.
Investigators allege that a private doctor conducted an illegal abortion of a female foetus and attempted to destroy evidence by disposing of the remains in a riverbed. During questioning, the arrested hospital employees allegedly admitted to dumping the foetus on the bank of the Dudhganga river in Kolhapur district.
Police suspect the racket extends beyond Maharashtra, with links to the border districts of Karnataka. Assistant police inspector Kranti Patil said the network appears to have become active again despite the doctor having been booked earlier in similar cases.
Authorities have launched a forensic probe to gather evidence. Officials are examining the role of medical practitioners, middlemen, and others who may have facilitated illegal sex determination and abortions, which are banned under Indian law.
Police said further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.
