Jalna: Illegal Foetal Sex Determination Racket Busted In Cattle Shed; Two Arrested

Jalna: The Local Crime Branch (LCB) and health officials on Wednesday evening busted an illegal foetal sex determination and abortion racket operating from a cattle shed at a field in Nanja Wadi of Bhokardan taluka in Jalna district.

The arrested accused have been identified as Satish Sonawane, a class 12 pass youth, and Keshav Gawande, owner of Tejas Pathology Lab, the police said.

Acting on a tip-off, the team raided the spot around 6pm on Wednesday and arrested the duo, who were caught red-handed while conducting sex determination tests. Officials seized medical testing material, mobile phones, portable machines and abortion pills from the site.

According to police, a clandestine operation of foetal sex determination and illegal abortions had been running for several months inside a tin-shed cattle enclosure. During the raid, three women were found waiting for tests. Shockingly, neither of the arrested individuals is a qualified doctor. The shed used for the operation is adjacent to the Zilla Parishad School in the Gawliwadi area of the village.

Police said the main mastermind is Satish Sonawane of Sambhajinagar, who is already an accused in similar cases across Sambhajinagar, Beed and Jalna. The racket had reportedly shifted locations after gaining public attention and had been active for six months.

It may be noted that last year, in July 2024, police arrested Dr Dilip Singh Rajput and others in a sex determination case in Bhokardan. Despite that action, the racket continued. Police are now investigating under whose patronage Gawande was operating and exploring other links.