Illegal sex determination clinic busted in west Delhi

New Delhi: Health officials of Delhi and Haryana raided an unauthorised medical facility in Nihal Vihar in west Delhi on Monday evening and seized machines and equipment allegedly used for illegal sex determination and abortion.
The undercover operation led to the arrest of a woman, identified as Bhanwati, who was allegedly conducting illegal sex determination tests and terminating pregnancies without qualifications or registration.Naveen Kumar, another person on the premises, was allegedly involved in the illegal sex determination. A health official from the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) wing under Delhi govt said an FIR had been registered.
Records seized by the health department showed that Bhanwati had allegedly carried out these procedures for a long time. Two registers contained information on about 150 patients. The accused operated from a single room.
Health officials sealed two ultrasound machines, including a portable one, a doppler device used to detect foetal heartbeat, a suction cannula used in medical termination of pregnancy, and tablets used for illegal abortion after sex determination. A delivery table was also found. A mobile phone containing ultrasound scan images taken from the portable machine was also found.
A decoy pregnant woman from Sonipat reached the address given by Bhanwati and after half an hour she came out and signalled the health officials that she had paid the suspect Rs 40,000 for sex determination and she had confirmed a male child in her womb.
"The suspect was operating the clinic without proper registration or medical qualifications. Such illegal practices not only violate the law but also pose serious health risks to patients seeking these services," a senior health official said.
The case was registered under BNS sections of 91 (act with intent to prevent child being born alive or to cause death after birth), 92 (causing death of unborn child by act amounting to culpable homicide), 318 (cheating) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) as well as sections of PCPNDT Act, 1994, among others.