An operation led to the unearthing of a clandestine setup allegedly involved in sex determination and sex-selective abortion in Mysuru on October 22, 2025.
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In a major crackdown on illegal sex determination and abortion practices, officials of the State Appropriate Authority under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act on Wednesday (October 22, 2025) conducted a successful decoy operation in Hunuganahalli Hundi, Bannur taluk, Mysuru district. The operation led to the unearthing of a clandestine setup allegedly involved in sex determination and sex-selective abortion.
A joint team from the State and District Appropriate Authorities (PCPNDT) and the State and District Inspection and Monitoring Committees (SIMC and DIMC) carried out the operation around 3 p.m. on October 22, following credible information that illegal sex determination procedures were being conducted in the area.
How it unfolded
Vivek Dorai, State PCPNDT Nodal Officer, who led the team, told The Hindu that the operation began earlier in the day at Mellahalli Circle, where one Puttasiddamma handed over ₹30,000 in cash to a man identified as Swamy. Shortly afterwards, a pregnant woman was picked up by another individual, Govindaraju, in a car. Two other pregnant women — Roopa, 34, from K.R. Nagar, and Uma, 23, from Keragalli, Mysuru taluk — were subsequently picked up from different locations by the same person.
All three women, including a decoy (pregnant) woman deployed by the authorities, were taken to a newly constructed house at Hunuganahalli. Acting swiftly, the officials’ team reached the spot and entered the premises within 15 minutes, he said.
Inside the house, the officials found the three pregnant women in a bedroom on the first floor, reportedly waiting for a doctor to arrive for sex determination and possible termination of pregnancy. Several other women and children were also present in the room.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that the women had been instructed by the agents to identify themselves as relatives of one Shyamali, if questioned. They were also told to switch off their mobile phones and conceal them, Dr. Dorai said.
What was recovered
During the inspection, the team recovered medical equipment and materials used for pregnancy-related procedures. These included IV fluids, progesterone injections, syringes, diclofenac and enoxaparin sodium injections, pregnancy test kits (both used and unused), medical records, diaries, and hospital receipts from a private facility. A computer system was also seized. Documents recovered from the spot bore the names of multiple pregnant women, suggesting a wider network, Dr Dorai explained.
Pointing out that the activities amounted to violations under Section 3A of the PCPNDT Act, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, and the Biomedical Waste Management Act, the doctor said: “The District Appropriate Authority, Mysuru, has filed a police complaint and legal proceedings against all those involved will be initiated. An FIR has been registered in the jurisdictional police station, and a detailed compliance report will be submitted to the State authority.”
“The operation has exposed a serious violation of the PCPNDT and MTP Acts. A thorough investigation will be conducted, and appropriate legal action will follow,” he added.
Published – October 23, 2025 02:58 pm IST
