Illegal sale of abortion kits in Haryana: 9 FIRs registered, 6 arrested in crackdown

Nine first information reports (FIRs) registered, six people arrested, and four medical shops sealed—that’s the scale of Haryana’s state-wide crackdown on the illegal sale and online supply of medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits over the past fortnight.

An MTP kit is a single pack of five tablets (containing one tablet of mifepristone and four tablets misoprotol) and both of these drugs are Schedule-H drugs, which cannot be sold without a prescription from a registered medical practitioner (RMP). The MTP Kit on its label/ packing bears a warning “to be only used under the direct supervision of a gynaecologist”.

A health official said online supply of MTP kits to the consumers is strictly illegal. These drugs are used in government hospitals and approved private facilities for terminating early medical pregnancies up to nine weeks, that too in accordance with the law. Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971/2021 allows abortions up to nine weeks using MTP kits, but only under the supervision of a registered gynaecologist in an approved MTP centre.

Raids conducted across multiple districts have so far led to the seizure of 19 MTP kits (excluding kits received from online platforms), along with various unauthorised allopathic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The crackdown—led by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in coordination with the health department and law enforcement agencies—has targeted both physical and online platforms engaged in illegal sales.

According to FDA records, at least nine cases have been registered under various sections of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, after authorities intercepted MTP kits purchased from online platforms or after seizing kits from medical stores following sting operations.

“Among those arrested is Ritesh Kumar, a Bihar-based major supplier of MTP kits online. Our teams apprehended him in Bihar on Thursday for multiple cases registered across Sonipat, Kurukshetra, and Yamunanagar. He is being brought to Haryana,” said Manmohan Taneja, Haryana’s State Drug Controller, to Hindustan Times.

Ritesh Kumar, who operates from Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur, Bihar, is allegedly involved in the unauthorised nationwide online sale of MTP kits. He was first booked on February 16 after health officials received MTP kits via courier from an online platform (www.indiamarketto.com), which he allegedly runs.

The crackdown began on February 11 with the arrest of two Uttar Pradesh-based online pharmacy owners accused of supplying MTP kits online to Gurugram. Authorities also seized 227 MTP kits.

The action follows Haryana’s lowest sex ratio at birth (SRB) in eight years. In 2024, the SRB dropped to 910 female births per 1,000 male births, down from 916 in 2023. The last time it was lower was in 2016, when it stood at 900.

According to Taneja, another FIR was lodged in Jind on Thursday evening after a team enforcing the MTP Act received MTP kits from an online platform operating out of Bhagalpur, Bihar.

“We have submitted evidence to register another FIR in Charkhi Dadri also after intercepting an online purchase. However, the case is yet to be lodged,” Taneja added.

Major raids and key findings

In Gurugram, two separate cases led to three arrests for online sales of MTP kits on February 11. Two days later, in Faridabad, a medical store was caught stocking six MTP kits, which were seized. In Ambala, a sting operation on February 25 resulted in the arrest of a medical representative and a store owner selling MTP kits without authorisation. In Hisar, authorities seized 1,190 Alprazolam tablets and 60 Tramadol injections—pointing to a broader issue of unregulated drug distribution. Two MTP kits were also recovered from a rented house in Amir Patel Nagar, Hisar, on February 26.

On February 25, a medical store in Haripur, Raipur Rani (Panchkula district), sold an MTP kit to a decoy customer without a prescription or sale invoice. Authorities later found four more MTP kits in a motorcycle parked outside the shop, which has since been sealed. In Charkhi Dadri, two MTP kits were discovered in an unlicensed premises near the main bus stand on February 26.

Officials said many sellers exploited online platforms to bypass regulations, allowing customers to buy MTP kits without prescriptions. Some medical shops stocked the kits illegally, while others relied on courier-based delivery systems to evade scrutiny.

“Authorities are now tracing the supply chain to curb further illegal sales. Additional arrests are expected as investigations progress,” officials said, emphasising the need for stricter monitoring of online marketplaces.