Gender test racket busted on Rajpura Civil Hospital premises

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 6

A joint team of the Health Department from Karnal and Patiala caught two individuals carrying out sex determination at a dilapidated house within the premises of the Civil Hospital, Rajpura, during a raid here today.

Both, the operator of the ultrasound machine and his helper, have been handed over to the police. They have been identified as Sonu and Ram. A resident doctor living nearby is also under investigation.

The team from the Health Department, Haryana, had information about illegal ultrasound tests being carried out in Rajpura.

Officials said they laid a trap with the help of a decoy customer on the basis of a tip-off, and caught the machine operator and his helper red-handed while conducting an ultrasound test.

Dr Sandeep Abrol of Karnal said the decoy customer was sent with Rs25,000 of which over Rs24,000 had been recovered and currency notes matched. The team also recovered the ultrasound machine and other equipment from house, he added.

The illegal sex determination racket was going on at dilapidated officers’ quarters within the premises of the Civil Hospital, Rajpura, he said. The kitchen and rooms of the house were being used as makeshift ultrasound centre, he added.

“We think someone was living in the house. We have also confiscated a digital video recorded from an adjacent location, which has been handed over to the police for further investigation. The role of a resident doctor living in nearby quarters is also under investigation,” he said.

Dr Jagpalinder Singh, Senior Medical Officer, Rajpura, said an FIR registered would be registered against two suspects. “One of the suspect works as a Class IV employee at the hospital,” he added.