Ahmedabad, May 27 The Ahmedabad Rural Special Operations Group (SOG), in coordination with the Bavla Taluka Health Department, has uncovered an illegal abortion racket operating out of a guest house in Bavla town of Gujarat.
The raid was conducted following a tip-off received during routine patrolling by SOG personnel.
Acting on the information, authorities raided Room 105 of the Panama Guest House, where unlicensed medical procedures were allegedly being carried out.
The prime accused, identified as Hemlatta Darji, a resident of Dholka, was found conducting abortions without holding a valid medical degree.
According to officials, Hemlatta had only completed a nursing course and previously worked at Santokba Hospital in Dholka.
Using that experience, she allegedly performed abortions for profit, charging substantial amounts to pregnant women seeking termination of pregnancy.
Investigators revealed that she would rent rooms in the guest house to carry out these procedures covertly. During the raid, three women were found at the location, one of whom had recently undergone an abortion.
A foetus was also recovered from the premises. Medical equipment used for termination procedures was seized by health authorities.
A case has been registered at Bavla Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971. Legal proceedings have also been initiated against the three women present at the site.
Senior health officials said the crackdown comes as part of a larger drive to identify and prosecute unregistered medical practitioners operating across rural areas.
“Such illegal acts not only endanger the lives of women but also constitute a serious violation of the law,” an official said.
Further investigation is underway to trace any network or accomplices involved in the operation.
Illegal abortion cases in Gujarat have been a growing concern. In another case, a 23-year-old tuition teacher from Surat was arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly abducting and sexually assaulting her 13-year-old student. Following her arrest, it was discovered that she was 20 weeks pregnant.
The court permitted the medical termination of her pregnancy, citing potential harm to her mental and physical health. The procedure was to be conducted under expert medical supervision, with the foetus preserved for DNA analysis to aid the investigation.
--IANS
janvi/dan
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