As the state is tightening its noose on the illegal sex determination tests conducted  in urban sonography clinics, the culprits have devised a new technique to escape the watchful eyes — they are using portable sonography machines that are generally used to check animals.

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This came to light when a major sex determination racket was busted by a panel of experts and Satara police on Saturday midnight.

A Pune-based couple alerted the activists and the police about the racket, where they were offered sex determination and abortions for Rs35,000. The raiding party that included child rights activist Dr Yamini Adbe, an NGO activist Anees Sheikh and police officers was shocked to see how the racket involved doctors across cities and states and the culprit had complete disregard of even the stipulated medical ethics.

Sheikh came to know about the racket after her relative, Ayesha, who was five months pregnant, was approached by city-based Dr Yashwant Satpute for routine checks. Dr Satpute then allegedly told the couple, who already have a daughter, that they could see if Ayesha was pregnant with a girl child again and then could abort it. He gave the couple an address and details of the tests they were supposed to do in Satara.

The couple, along with Sheikh, approached Dr Adbe and informed her about the activities. Dr Adbe and Sheikh accompanied the couple to Satara.

“For two days, we were asked to stay at Satara. Finally on Saturday night, an agent Arun Sawant took an advance of Rs20,000 from us and made Ayesha sit on his motorbike. He took her to Mhaswad village, about 80 km from Satara.”

A Maruti Omni van, that had curtains drawn on its windows, was in readiness along with an electropath Dr Dilip Rasge and the portable sonography machine. As Rasge completed the test, another doctor Madhu Sawant arrived on the scene to check the results of the tests. But he sensed something was amiss and fled even as Sheikh and Adbe detained Rasge and Arun Sawant at the spot. Mhaswad police were alerted about the racket and are conducting further investigation.

The modus operandi

Couples from Pune, Mumbai and other cities are taken to remote villages where local doctors conduct sex determination tests using portable sonography machines used for animals.

If the couple then wants to abort a child, they are taken to Bijapur in Karnataka. The pregnant woman is given an abortion pill or other remedies to start bleeding. Or else, abortion is conducted at a Satara-based hospital. The entire exercise is conducted over weekends to escape the authorities.