Gender test racket busted, two held in Kurukshetra

A team of health officials from the district conducted a raid and busted a sex determination test racket in Kurukshetra on Sunday.

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The accused running the racket were identified as Sukhdev, a resident of Kurukshetra, and Akash, a resident of Saharanpur.

Dr Ramesh Sabharwal, Deputy Civil Surgeon, Kurukshetra, and nodal officer, Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, said the health authorities got information that some people in Kurukshetra were involved in the sex determination test racket. Following the tip-off, a team comprising Dr Rishi, Rajiv Kumar and Manoj Kumar from the department was formed. A contact was established with tout Sukhdev through a source and a deal was fixed at Rs 30,000. A decoy was arranged to trap the accused.

The accused Sukhdev and Akash, who conducted the test, reached the decoy’s house in Sector 30 with a portable machine. Meanwhile, health officials kept a watch on the activities of the accused. After conducting the test, the accused came out from the house. The team of health officials, which was waiting outside the house, nabbed both the accused with help of the police.

During checking, the amount and a portable ultrasound machine were recovered from the possession of the accused. During questioning, Akash disclosed that he had bought the ultrasound machine illegally at Rs 50,000 from Rohit, a resident of Uttar Pradesh.

As per health officials, two cases were already registered against Sukhdev and three against Akash.

Dr Rishi informed that Akash, who is an unregistered person, had procured the portable ultrasound machine illegally and he used to conduct tests in Uttar Pradesh as well. Sukhdev used to contact him after getting cases and then they used to fix the time and place to conduct the test.

“Since the accused have been giving doorstep service for such tests, it has become more challenging for the department to keep a check on such people. However, the department has been making sincere efforts, due to which two accused have been arrested,” he said.

A case was registered under the PCPNDT Act and relevant sections of the BNS at the Thanesar Sadar police station against Sukhdev, Akash and Rohit.

The accused were produced before a court today which sent Akash to two-day police remand, while Sukhdev was sent to judicial custody. Rohit is yet to be arrested.