Health department unearths sex determination racket, 3 booked

PATIALA: A team led by Sangrur civil surgeon Dr Manjit Singh busted a sex determination racket being run from a secluded house on the outskirts of Malerkotla town in Sangrur district. The district police have registered a case against three persons, including a woman.
The health department team carried out the raid late on Tuesday evening and nabbed a man identified as Rampal, who worked as a lab technician with the health department. The team also seized Rs 7,500 from his possession.
The civil surgeon said Rampal acted as a front man of the owner of the house, where the raid had been carried out. It was Rampal who would arrange patients willing to undergo sex determination test and would take them to the house. They would charge Rs 40,000 from each patient, officials added.
The health department had sent two decoy patients to Rampal, who took them to the house where another person was present to conduct the sex determination test.
As the health team reached the spot, the man, who was later identified as Malkiat Singh, escaped in his car.
The civil surgeon said following the raid, the owner of the house, Rampal and a woman who assisted to carry out sex determination tests have been booked under the relevant sections of the law.