Quack caught in Gurgaon for promising male child through medicines

The man, who claims to be registered medical practitioner, used to give paracetamol and medicines for cold to people and promised them a boy

A man claiming to be a registered medical practitioner (RMP), who promised conception of male child through medication, was caught by a team from the health department on Tuesday. Acting on a tip-off, a team conducted a search at a private hospital in Kherki Daula village and nabbed the man, Baldev Raj.

Acting on a tip-off, the team conducted a search at a private hospital in Kherki Daula village and nabbed the man.

A case has been registered against Raj, under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, at the Kherki Daula police station. Under Section 23 of the Act, determination of the sex of the foetus is illegal. The man had been taking money from patients promising them a male child and also conducting sex-determination ultrasounds.

“A decoy patient was sent to the clinic and she was allegedly asked to pay Rs2,000 for a male child by the accused. He is not even an RMP. When we asked for documents, he failed to produce any. He is a quack,” said Shyam Sunder, district secretary of the Red Cross Society.

Raj prescribed medicines to women in the area for them to conceive male child. The residents had complained to the health department regarding this.

The team that conducted the raid was headed by Amandeep Chauhan, drugs control officer, Gurgaon, and Sunder.

“He used to give paracetamol and medicines for cold to people and promised them a boy. He used to conduct ultrasounds as well,” said Sunder.

Health department officials had conducted a similar raid at a private clinic in Rajiv Nagar and apprehended two people, Dr Vijay Kumar Sharma and Dr Sonam Sharma, on March 7 on charges of conducting sex-determination tests.

On March 8, Dr Sunita Pawar, a doctor who runs a private health centre at Patel Nagar, was also arrested for conducting illegal abortion.

On March 15, a man allegedly involved in black magic was arrested for promising a male child to couples in the city. He took money from them to perform rituals promising that the women would bear a son.

In the last one and half year, the team has successfully conducted more than 22 raids in which cases against more than 60 doctors and medical practitioners have been lodged.