Three held for sex determination test

JAIPUR: Three persons, including a woman, were arrested for their alleged involvement in sex selection activities in a decoy operation conducted by health department's pre-conception pre-natal diagnostic technique (PCPNDT) cell in Gujarat's Himmatnagar on Saturday.
For the past few days, the PCPNDT cell was tracking activities of an agent in Udaipur. State appropriate authority (PCPNDT) Navin Jain said that after verification, they sent a bogus customer to the agent in Udaipur. The bogus client who was a pregnant woman expressed willingness to undergo sex selection test to know the sex of the fetus. The agent agreed to conduct the test and demanded Rs 50,000 from her.

PCPNDT cell officials said that pregnant woman reached Udai Pole and met agent Sabir. The agent accompanied the pregnant woman to Himmat Nagar. PCPNDT cell team followed them till Himmat Nagar.

PCPNDT cell claimed that the agent took her to Khushboo Diagnostic Centre in Himmat Nagar, where doctor Mahesh Parmar conducted the test. He allegedly revealed the sex of the foetus. The PCPNDT cell team, which was following them, immediately conducted the raid at the centre. But, they failed to arrest the doctor. They managed to arrest three persons, all agents, including Sabir and his relatives Shamin and Farukh, who was working at the centre, for allegedly facilitating clients to get the sex selective test done.

PCPNDT cell officials claimed that they have recovered Rs 25,000 from their possession. Besides, the rest of Rs 25,000 was taken away by the doctor. The PCPNDT cell seized equipment and documents at the centre for investigation. It was the 34th decoy operation conducted by the PCPNDT cell outside the state among total 116 decoy operations conducted till date in the state by the health department's PCPNDT cell.