2023 foeticide racket case: Six more held in Mandya, say cops
On October 15 last year when the Bengaluru police busted a female foeticide racket. So far 36 people have been arrested
Six people were arrested in Mandya district for their alleged involvement in a female foeticide racket that was busted last year, an officer said adding that a total of 36 people have been arrested so far.
District superintendent of police (SP) Mallikarjun S Baladandi said that the six accused were arrested on Tuesday. They have been identified as N Ramakrishna and B Guru from Bannur, Somesekhar from Mysuru, Naveen HK from Hiremarali village in Pandavapur taluk, Shankara GN from KR Nagar, and Jabbar from Haralahalli in Pandavapur taluk.
He said: “A case was registered at Pandavapur, Bellur, and Melukote police stations concerning the discovery of the foetus and the murder last year. Ramakrishna, Guru, and Somesekhar, who were working in Mysuru, were involved in the illegal abortions case. Two scanning machines were seized from Ramakrishna.”
“Over the past year, a total of 36 people have been arrested,” he said.
The case came to the fore on October 15 last year when the Bengaluru police busted a female foeticide racket. During the investigations, an illegal gender scanning centre operating from a jaggery-making unit in Hullenahalli, Mandya district, was revealed. To date, three cases have been registered in Mandya district.
The accused used to charge between ₹25,000 to ₹75,000 for each abortion, an official said, adding that the accused had performed at least 3,000 abortions since 2020.
In connection with the case, three doctors were arrested along with 12 other people, who were involved in running the foeticide racket. Besides, a Pandavapura health department ambulance driver was arrested on May 6, who was involved in illegal scanning and abortions conducted at his official quarters.
Following the arrest of six more people on Tuesday, local MLA of Sarvodaya Karnataka Party from Melukote assembly constituency, Darshan Puttannaiah said: “A foeticide racket has been uncovered in the Dudda area, which has been ongoing for the past year. Thanks to the diligent work of the police, the accused have been apprehended.”
“These heinous acts are leading to a decrease in the number of female. The government must take stringent action to stop these killings, and the police should continue their investigation to arrest all those involved,” he added.
