Female foeticide scam: Karnataka govt to hold emergency meeting to prevent abortions

Bengaluru, Nov 29 (IANS) Following the female foeticide scandal that shocked the state, the Karnataka government is convening an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the situation and initiate action.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare is holding the meeting at Vidhana Soudha and it will be chaired by Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Minister Rao has directed the officers to be present with the required information to discuss about the female foeticide cases reported in the state and to initiate preventive measures.

Principle Secretary, Commissioner, Project Director and senior officials of the Health department will attend the meeting.

The investigation into the foeticide scam that recently came to light in Bengaluru has led to shocking revelations that the accused had aborted 3,000 female foetuses so far.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand told reporters on Tuesday that the investigations have shown that the accused had carried out 3,000 abortions so far and in the last three months itself, 242 female foetuses were killed.

The accused had set a target of 1,000 abortions per year to make money as they charged anywhere between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per termination of pregnancy.

The scam came to light when Byappanahalli Police, on October 15, tried to stop a vehicle moving suspiciously. The vehicle’s driver did not stop and had to be chased by the police before being caught.

During interrogation, the accused spilled the beans about the abortion racket. The police have arrested nine people till now, including two doctors and three lab technicians for their involvement in the nefarious activity.

The probe also revealed that abortions were conducted at a jaggery production unit in Mandya district where the accused had set up a lab and related facilities.