In a revelation that strikes at the heart of both medical ethics and gender justice, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Ahmedabad Rural Police has exposed an abortion racket linked to female feticide, operating discreetly out of a guesthouse in Bavla.
The illegal operation was uncovered during a raid conducted on Monday, based on precise intelligence and in coordination with officials from the local health department.
According to media reports, at the center of this racket is Hemlata Darji, a 40-year-old woman with no valid medical qualifications. Despite lacking legal authorisation, Darji had been performing abortions, allegedly drawing from over a decade’s experience working as a nurse in private hospitals across Bavla and Dholka. Police say her accumulated knowledge enabled her to perform unauthorised pregnancy terminations with shocking confidence and disregard for the law.
Darji, along with an assistant, was caught red-handed during the raid—mid-procedure—while a woman had reportedly come to the guesthouse seeking an abortion. A man present at the scene was also detained. The facility, a seemingly nondescript guesthouse, had been deliberately chosen as a covert base for the illegal operations, which Darji assumed would escape scrutiny.
What makes this case more chilling is the specific targeting of female fetuses. According to police sources, Darji maintained a list of individuals looking to terminate pregnancies upon discovering the fetus was female. Investigators believe she received information from certain hospitals and sonography centres, which she then used to selectively carry out abortions.
Women were charged between Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000, depending on their financial condition. The procedures were conducted inside rented rooms of the guesthouse. The methods allegedly included oral medications or injections, with patients typically staying one to two days for recovery.
Inspector A N Jani of Bavla police station confirmed that a detailed FIR has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. He said the investigation now extends to identifying the full scope of Darji’s network, tracking financial records, and probing the involvement of sonography centres in illegal sex determination practices.
Police recovered evidence suggesting ongoing coordination between the accused and several medical establishments. Authorities are now trying to determine if any abortions were carried out beyond the legally permissible gestation period, and how widespread the racket might be.
This case, officials stated, forms part of a broader district-wide crackdown on illegal medical practices and the abhorrent crime of female feticide—a practice that continues to threaten gender equity despite years of legislative effort.
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