Female Foeticide Racket Busted; Doctor, 2 Women Arrested

A doctor and two women involved in the sex detection and foeticide operation that was discovered last month were arrested on November 12. The individuals apprehended include Dr Tulasiram, Meena CM, and Rizma Khanum.

A doctor and two women involved in the sex detection and foeticide operation that was discovered last month were arrested on November 12. The individuals apprehended include Dr Tulasiram, 41, hailing from Chennai, Meena CM, 38, and Rizma Khanum, 38, both residents of Mysuru.

Earlier, police authorities had detained Shivananjegowda, also known as Shivu, 50, from Mysuru, Nayan Kumar, 36, from Mandya district, Veeresh TM, 35, from Honnali taluk in Davanagere district, and Naveen Kumar, 43, from Pandavapura taluk in Mandya.

Allegedly Dr Tulasiram, a paediatrician practising in Chennai, would guide women seeking abortions to Dr Chandan Ballal J who operated Maathas Hospital in Udayagiri, Mysuru. Dr Tulasiram would facilitate communication with Dr Ballal, through the receptionist Khanum. The abortion procedure would then be carried out by Dr Ballal at his hospital.

According to The Times Of India, three years prior, Dr Tulasiram had transferred ownership of Maathas Hospital to Dr Ballal and his wife Meena following his mother's demise. According to Devaraju, middlemen like Veeresh, a key figure in the operation, would instruct women to contact Dr Tulasiram.

For each foeticide, he would claim a portion of Rs 10,000. Subsequently, Dr Ballal and his wife commenced conducting these procedures at an Ayurveda hospital in Mysuru. Devaraj noted that they have facilitated the abortions of numerous women.

Veeresh and his group utilised a portable ultrasound device to identify the gender of the embryo and assist women who preferred not to have a female child in undergoing abortions.

Police Investigation

The case came to light a month earlier when Byappanahalli police apprehended four individuals involved in a three-year-long operation of gender identification and foeticide. The perpetrators' activities came to an end when vigilant police officers inspecting vehicles on Old Madras Road observed a Maruti Brezza. Upon signalling the vehicle to stop, it attempted to evade the police but was eventually intercepted. The earlier-mentioned people were caught.

The group used to demand approximately Rs 25,000 for performing a foeticide. The gang conducted fetal gender identification scans on pregnant women twice a month, with around 10 women being scanned each day. It is suspected that the gang scanned a minimum of 720 pregnant women. Initially, it appears that at least 30% (around 240) may have undergone foeticide at the direction of the gang.

The police have filed a case under the Pre-Conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, as well as IPC sections 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) and 312 (causing miscarriage).