Doctor Allegedly Admitted to Conducting 200–250 Illegal Abortions; Portable Ultrasound Machine Seized During Police Raid
In a major crackdown on an alleged illegal abortion network, Maharashtra Police have arrested a former Civil Surgeon and senior health department official in Kolhapur district for allegedly carrying out hundreds of illegal abortions involving female foetuses over several years.
According to police, the accused doctor was detained after a raid at his private hospital on Kadamwadi Road in Karvir. During preliminary interrogation, he allegedly admitted to conducting around 200 to 250 illegal abortions, officials said.
The operation was launched under the directions of Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Nilotpal as part of a special drive against illegal prenatal sex determination and abortion rackets. The investigation was supervised by Additional Superintendent of Police Annasaheb Jadhav.
Police said the case unfolded after the arrest of an alleged intermediary during a separate raid. During questioning, the intermediary reportedly revealed that a woman acted as an agent by referring pregnant women, who had allegedly learnt they were carrying female foetuses, to the doctor for illegal abortions.
Acting on the information, Police Inspector Ravindra Kalamkar deployed a decoy patient to the hospital. Investigators alleged that the doctor admitted the patient without completing mandatory legal formalities, conducted an examination using a portable ultrasound machine, made preparations for an abortion, and administered abortion medication.
The police team then raided the hospital and allegedly caught the doctor red-handed. During the operation, officers seized a portable sonography machine, abortion medicines, and other medical equipment from the premises.
The accused doctor had served in several senior positions in Maharashtra’s public health department. He was Civil Surgeon in Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Raigad, and Beed districts, served as Additional Superintendent at Mumbai’s St. George Hospital, and retired as an Assistant Director from Pune.
A case has been registered at Karvir Police Station under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act and the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act.
Police said the doctor’s health deteriorated during the arrest process, following which he was admitted to CPR Hospital in Kolhapur for medical treatment. The investigation is ongoing, and officials are examining the possible involvement of other individuals linked to the alleged illegal abortion network.
