REWARI: An alleged illegal foetal sex-determination racket was busted in Rewari following a joint operation by the health department and police, leading to the arrest of two alleged middlemen and the recovery of ₹64,500 from their possession, officials said.The case pertains to Model Town police station and took place around 10pm on Sunday. Acting on information about an alleged deal for illegal sex determination, officials from the health department, along with teams from Sonipat and Panipat and the Rewari PC-PNDT unit, launched a decoy operation.According to officials, the alleged middlemen had brought a pregnant woman from Sonipat to Rewari and allegedly struck a deal for ₹65,000 for an illegal foetal sex-determination test.As part of the operation, the health department sent a decoy woman to establish the alleged transaction. The suspected middlemen allegedly collected the money from her at Rewari’s Nagarik Hospital.The woman was subsequently taken to Dharuhera, where a referral slip for an ultrasound examination was allegedly arranged at a private hospital. She was then taken to an ultrasound centre in Model Town, Rewari, where the purported examination was to be conducted.However, before the ultrasound could take place, the two suspected middlemen allegedly became suspicious and fled the spot. The police and health department teams then began tracking them.According to ASI Vibhu Ranjan, investigating officer at Model Town police station, the police managed to arrest the two suspects, identified as Rahul and Ramniwas.“Two persons, Rahul and Ramniwas, were arrested during the police action, and ₹64,500 was recovered from them,” the investigating officer said.The accused were subsequently produced before a court and, following the proceedings, sent to judicial custody.Officials said the circumstances surrounding the alleged transaction would also be examined, including the role, if any, of the private hospital and ultrasound centre involved in the sequence of events.Rewari PC-PNDT nodal officer Dr Vidyasagar said all aspects of the case would be investigated.The authorities are expected to examine why the woman was brought from Sonipat to Rewari, how the alleged deal was arranged, and whether any private medical facility or ultrasound centre was involved in facilitating the prohibited activity.The investigation will also look into whether the incident was part of a wider network involved in illegal foetal sex determination.The operation involved coordination between officials from Rewari, Sonipat and Panipat, reflecting the inter-district nature of the alleged racket.Foetal sex determination and disclosure of the sex of an unborn child are prohibited under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. The law was enacted to prevent the misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques for sex selection and to curb practices linked to female foeticide.Police said further details are likely to emerge as the investigation progresses.
