Gynaecologist Niraj Kadam has been arrested in connection to the alleged illegal abortion performed on a 13-year-old girl at his family-run Kadam hospital here earlier this month.
Earlier, Niraj’s wife, Rekha Kadam, also a gynaecologist, was arrested on charges of performing the abortion on the teenaged girl, who was five months’ pregnant at the time of the operation. The girl has been admitted to a Wardha hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.
At present, Rekha is in judicial custody.
“Niraj was aware of the abortion but did not inform the police. Further, he helped in the destruction of evidence,” said a police officer at Arvi police station.
A medical test was conducted on Niraj at the Arvi sub-district hospital and he was produced before a sessions court in Wardha.
The Kadam hospital is owned by Niraj’s father, Kumar Singh Kadam. Niraj’s mother, Shailaja Kadam, is also a gynaecologist and holds a licence to carry out abortions at the hospital.
On January 9, an FIR was registered based on the complaint of the girl’s mother under IPC Sections 376 (3), 376 (2) (n), 312, 313, 315, 341, 201, 506, 34 and Sections 4, 6 and 21 (1) of the Pocso Act. So far, six persons have been arrested in the case, including Niraj.
Notably, during a search operation carried out at the hospital on January 12, the police seized 11 skulls and 54 bones of foetuses. A team from the Nagpur forensic lab visited the hospital on Friday and seized one more skull. The human remains have been sent to the lab for DNA extraction tests.
A special team of doctors, lawyer, tehsildar and the police visited the hospital on Saturday to probe all documents, medicines and procedures related to abortions being carried out at the centre. The team has submitted a report based on its findings to District Civil Surgeon Dr Sachin Tadas for further action.
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