Five more people are arrested in Karnataka, police continue their probe into a sex determination racket

The Baiyyappanahalli police detained five persons on Sunday for carrying out female infanticide as part of their ongoing investigation into a sex determination ring that was raided in October, according to cops with knowledge of the case.

On October 25, while conducting a normal vehicle check on Old Madras Road, police discovered an SUV being driven suspiciously. This led to the discovery of the case. The five occupants of the automobile, one of whom was pregnant, were questioned by the police. When the woman was questioned by the police, she allegedly informed them that they had visited a temporary lab in Mandya where her fetus’s sex was ascertained by scanning.

Dr Thulasiram from Chennai, his wife Meena, Dr Chandan Ballal, a doctor at a private hospital in Mysuru, and a lab technician named Nissar are among those detained, the officer said, adding that nine people have been taken into custody as part of the investigation thus far.

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In connection with the crime, the police held five suspects in custody in October: Viresh, Shivanje Gowda, Naveen Kumar, and Nayan Kumar. These individuals used to locate expectant mothers and do scans from a sugarcane crushing unit in Mandya. They used to terminate women when they found a female foetus. The ongoing investigation revealed that this racket used to perform around 20-25 sex determination tests and abortions per month, for the last three years.

“The accused have been involved in this illicit activity at a Mandya sugar cane crushing unit for the past three years.” A senior police officer with knowledge of the situation stated, “According to the investigation, they have been involved in over 900 cases of infanticide, charging ₹25,000 per abortion and distributing the proceeds among themselves.”

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In connection with the investigation, the police have also taken control of an Ayurvedic Day Care Centre on Rajkumar Road in Bengaluru and a private hospital in the Udayagiri neighbourhood of Mysuru.
The accused used to practise female foeticide at a place in Hullenahalli Hadya, Mandya taluk, in addition to determining sex. Surrounded by sugarcane fields, this region functioned as a covert location for their operations. Naveen owned the land, and they utilised the sugarcane farm as a front for their illegal operations.

Through middlemen, the defendants used to contact expectant mothers and do scans in one of the rooms at their secret site using a machine. According to the authorities, pregnant ladies were driven to the location in a private vehicle for scans, and if a female foetus was found, prompt abortion procedures were carried out.