NAGPUR: The case of a 17-year-old boy allegedly raping a 13-year-old led to the discovery of a biogas plant-turned-graveyard of an alleged abortion racket in Arvi tehsil of Wardha district, from where around 54 skeleton bones and 11 skulls were recovered on Wednesday.
A doctor and her mother-in-law, also a gynaecologist, along with their support staff, are likely to have been operating the abortion racket from their family-owned Kadam Hospital.
Police have so far arrested Dr Rekha Kadam and nurses Sangeeta Kale and Puja Dahat, apart from the 17-year-old’s parents. On Thursday, police said Dr Rekha’s mother-in-law, 74-year-old Dr Shailaja Kadam, was made a co-accused in the case but yet to be placed under arrest.
Sources in the police said Rekha’s husband, also a gynaecologist at a government hospital in Arvi, is also under the scanner for his role in the racket.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Arvi sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Sunil Salunkhe has been formed to investigate the case, which was registered on January 9 after the 13-year-old girl had lodged a complaint against her boyfriend for luring her into a physical relationship and then forcing to abort. She had undergone abortion at Kadam Hospital a few days ago. Police were not informed about the abortion.
It’s learnt that the hospital had mentioned in its records that the minor had got admitted for “stomach ache”. Police said the hospital did not even have CCTV footage.
Police superintendent Prashant Holkar, monitoring the case under inspector general Cherring Dorje, said a team of medical experts will visit the site to guide the SIT in the probe. “Police are probing various angles to ascertain how many abortions were conducted illegally, including those involving minor pregnancies, and whether the foetuses were disposed following legal standard operating procedure,” said Holkar.
A special team from Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) will visit the biogas plant in Kadam Hospital’s premises to conduct more searches with the police team of Arvi under SDPO Salunkhe and police inspector Bhanudas Pidurkar. The skulls and skeletons so far recovered from the biogas plant will be handed over to RFSL for ascertaining their age, gender and other details from the genetic remains.
“Dr Shailaja had allowed the use of equipment and the premises for the abortion. We are probing whether she was also involved directly,” said an official.
Police sources said the rape case’s investigation took the probe team to Kadam Hospital. During searches, the cops recovered the skeletons and skulls from the biogas plant at the hospital.
It’s learnt that the district police are now contemplating registering another offence under Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994. “A complaint from the civil surgeon is required to invoke PCPNDT Act for the misuse of sonongraphy machine and flouting of the norms of medical termination of pregnancy,” said an official.
A doctor and her mother-in-law, also a gynaecologist, along with their support staff, are likely to have been operating the abortion racket from their family-owned Kadam Hospital.
Police have so far arrested Dr Rekha Kadam and nurses Sangeeta Kale and Puja Dahat, apart from the 17-year-old’s parents. On Thursday, police said Dr Rekha’s mother-in-law, 74-year-old Dr Shailaja Kadam, was made a co-accused in the case but yet to be placed under arrest.
Sources in the police said Rekha’s husband, also a gynaecologist at a government hospital in Arvi, is also under the scanner for his role in the racket.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Arvi sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Sunil Salunkhe has been formed to investigate the case, which was registered on January 9 after the 13-year-old girl had lodged a complaint against her boyfriend for luring her into a physical relationship and then forcing to abort. She had undergone abortion at Kadam Hospital a few days ago. Police were not informed about the abortion.
It’s learnt that the hospital had mentioned in its records that the minor had got admitted for “stomach ache”. Police said the hospital did not even have CCTV footage.
Police superintendent Prashant Holkar, monitoring the case under inspector general Cherring Dorje, said a team of medical experts will visit the site to guide the SIT in the probe. “Police are probing various angles to ascertain how many abortions were conducted illegally, including those involving minor pregnancies, and whether the foetuses were disposed following legal standard operating procedure,” said Holkar.
A special team from Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) will visit the biogas plant in Kadam Hospital’s premises to conduct more searches with the police team of Arvi under SDPO Salunkhe and police inspector Bhanudas Pidurkar. The skulls and skeletons so far recovered from the biogas plant will be handed over to RFSL for ascertaining their age, gender and other details from the genetic remains.
“Dr Shailaja had allowed the use of equipment and the premises for the abortion. We are probing whether she was also involved directly,” said an official.
Police sources said the rape case’s investigation took the probe team to Kadam Hospital. During searches, the cops recovered the skeletons and skulls from the biogas plant at the hospital.
It’s learnt that the district police are now contemplating registering another offence under Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994. “A complaint from the civil surgeon is required to invoke PCPNDT Act for the misuse of sonongraphy machine and flouting of the norms of medical termination of pregnancy,” said an official.
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