In a state already grappling with a dangerously skewed child sex ratio — a mere 890 girls per 1,000 boys, as per the 2011 Census — the busting of a horrifying female feticide racket has dealt a fresh blow to Gujarat’s already battered conscience. Despite years of awareness campaigns and legislation banning sex determination, the demand for a male child has not only persisted but forced such operations into the shadows, thriving behind veils of secrecy and coded language.
The latest case, cracked earlier this month by the Ahmedabad Rural Police, is perhaps one of the most insidious uncovered in recent memory. In what authorities suspect is the first of its kind in the state, abortions were not merely conducted behind clinic doors or inside guesthouses, but shockingly, were carried out in the homes of the patients themselves. Police confirmed that at least five such procedures had taken place in Ahmedabad and surrounding towns.
The operation was reportedly run by nurse Hemlata Darji and radiologist Harshad Acharya, who are accused of operating across Ahmedabad, Anand, and Vadodara. The racket, according to police, functioned with chilling precision. At Acharya’s Odhav-based clinic, Ashirwad Imaging Centre, 25 sex determination tests were allegedly conducted, eight of which revealed female fetuses. Police officials said that three abortions had been carried out in a Bavla guesthouse, while five others took place at the patients’ residences.
Senior officers from Ahmedabad Rural Police remarked that this was not a hastily run scam but a calculated and systematic setup, intentionally quiet, mobile, and designed for maximum secrecy. Patients reportedly never needed to enter clinics; instead, services were brought directly to their homes. Lab couriers were arranged to collect blood samples, and abortions were conducted on-site.
Authorities said that if a woman suffered from heavy bleeding during the procedure, Darji would administer medications that she had allegedly stolen from a private hospital where she was previously employed. Acharya, on the other hand, was primarily responsible for sex determination.
It emerged during the investigation that Acharya had been engaged in this illicit activity for around one and a half years. He reportedly charged Rs 15,000 per case, sharing Rs 7,000 with Darji. Police revealed that the communication with clients was deliberately coded to avoid detection. When Acharya smiled and used the word “aashirwad” (blessings), it was meant to indicate a male foetus. If he used the phrase “theek thai jashe” (everything will be alright) with a serious expression, it implied the foetus was female.
Officers also stated that the accused had been careful in selecting clients, relying mostly on close contacts.
The accused reportedly told the police that they could not remember the names of the women who had undergone the procedures.
However, they did recall the specific houses where the sex determination and subsequent abortions had been performed. Investigators said that the clients who had used the abortion service would also be treated as accused in the case, and that they were examining whether any of the procedures violated the 24-week legal limit for abortions.
Darji was the first to be arrested, apprehended last week while allegedly performing an abortion in a Bavla guesthouse without holding valid medical qualifications. Acharya was arrested the following day. Both now face serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.
This case underscores a brutal truth: stricter laws have merely forced sex-selective abortions further underground. The societal obsession with male children remains so deeply rooted that families are willing to pay, conceal, and risk criminal charges to avoid the birth of a daughter.
Also Read: Gujarat To Build ‘Sindoor Van’ Memorial On Indo-Pak Border In Tribute To Operation Sindoor https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarat-to-build-sindoor-van-memorial-on-indo-pak-border-in-tribute-to-operation-sindoor/
