Sex determination racket busted at Ambala Civil Hospital, two held
A joint team of health officials from Kurukshetra and Ambala districts busted an alleged fraudulent sex determination racket and arrested two men from the Civil Hospital in Ambala Cantonment on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Sagar and Rajji, both residents of Ambala Cantonment. Sagar is a contractual Class IV employee at the Civil Hospital.
Dr Ramesh Sabharwal, Deputy Civil Surgeon of Kurukshetra and nodal officer for the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, said the health department received a tip-off about illegal activity at the hospital. Acting on the input, a team led by Dr Rishi was formed and a decoy operation was planned.
“A contact was established with tout Rajji through a source, and a deal was fixed at Rs 60,000. A decoy was arranged to trap the accused,” said Dr Sabharwal.
According to officials, the tout instructed the decoy to reach Football Chowk in Ambala Cantonment. From there, they proceeded to the Civil Hospital, where Sagar was already present. He arranged an OPD slip, accompanied the woman posing as the patient, and claimed she was experiencing abdominal pain.
The doctor on duty recommended an ultrasound, which was then conducted by a radiologist. The radiologist confirmed the woman was pregnant and advised that she consult a gynaecologist.
As soon as they exited, the joint team nabbed both accused and recovered the cash involved in the deal.
Dr Vipin Bhandari, nodal officer for the PCPNDT Act in Ambala, said, “We got information from the Kurukshetra team that a tout had directed a decoy to reach Ambala for a sex determination test. While tracking them, the Kurukshetra team reached Civil Hospital, and to support them, we also joined in. Based on the complaint of abdominal pain, an ultrasound was performed and she was referred to the Gynae department. Meanwhile, the accused were apprehended. They have been running a fraudulent racket, cheating people in the name of sex determination tests.”
Dr Sabharwal added, “During the search, Rs 32,000 was recovered from Sagar and Rs 28,000 from Rajji. Efforts are underway to determine if they have duped others in a similar manner. A case has been registered and further investigation is on.”
Haryana Tribune