Khetia (Barwani district, Madhya Pradesh): Malfa village near Khetia reverberated with sound of ambulance and police beacon mounted vehicles on Monday evening as an investigation team from Maharashtra state reached there in search of a doctor who allegedly terminated the pregnancy of a minor girl.
The team failed to find the doctor or get clue from the hut where pregnancy was terminated as the accused fled. He smeared the entire hut with cow dung to cover up possible evidences.
Few months back, a minor girl from a small village in Nandurbar district (Maharashtra) was repeatedly raped by Pankaj Manga Patil. Victim’s father came to know about the incident after she got pregnant. The accused who came from an influential background threatened the victim's father and asked him to terminate her pregnancy by paying him some money.
Meanwhile, no doctor at Nandurbar district or in Surat, Gujarat, was ready to abort her fearing legal complications. Later, the accused brought her to Malfa village, close to Madhya Pradesh – Maharashtra state border, where the accused got her pregnancy terminated with the help of one doctor at a small hut situated in a deserted agriculture field. Accused later buried foetus in the agriculture field.
Hut where abortion took place |
When contacted, Shahada sub-divisional officer (police) Sambhaji Sawant said that based on the report of complainant lodged at Masawad police station, the accused has been arrested and case has been registered against six persons under Sections 376(a) and (b), 313, 318, 506, 34 of Indian Penal Code.
SDOP Sawant added that the victim's pregnancy was terminated on June 10 in Malfa. Maharashtra police also took help of forensic team as well as Pansemal SDM Sumersingh Mujalde, additional tehsildar Hukumsinh Ningwal, BMO Dr Arvind Kirade, Khetia police station in-charge Santosh Sawale and Dr Neha Arya and her medical team to recover foetus as it is crucial evidence in the case.
Besides, police are also searching for a doctor who aborts pregnancy, SDOP Sawant added.
