NEW DELHI An Indian doctor and two of his associates were arrested as they were about to carry out a banned sex determination test for a pregnant woman in a car in a secluded forest on the outskirts of the capital, a government official said Friday.
State health officials in a joint operation with police sent a decoy pregnant woman to the accused, who agreed to determine the sex of her fetus for 30,000 rupees ($460, Dh1,688). Police arrested the three and seized an ultrasound machine from the doctor’s car earlier this week in Sonipat, a town in Haryana state, said Adarsh Sharma, a state health official.
The doctor has been found to be conducting such tests since 2015, Sharma said. The three can be jailed for three years, if convicted.
The woman was told to meet a go-between in a small town north of New Delhi. That man took her money and drove her to a nearby forest, where the doctor was waiting.
The police, who were following them, made the arrest just as the doctor was about to begin the exam inside his car, with the ultrasound powered by a portable generator he’d brought with him.
In India, where aborted female foetuses have contributed to a nationwide gender imbalance, it’s illegal for doctors to reveal the sex of an unborn child. But with boys still often far more valued than girls, a lucrative business thrives underground.The doctor had been testing for gender since 2015, Sharma said. The men face up to three years in jail if they are convicted.
India banned sex determination tests in 1994, as the gender balance became increasingly skewed. India has 940 girls born for every 1,000 boys, according to the 2011 census.
Most parents in India celebrate the birth of a son, considered to be their family pride. The birth of a daughter can be a time of embarrassment and even mourning as parents, especially the poor, look toward the immense debts they’ll need to take on to pay for marriage dowries.
Studies have long shown that Indian girls are less educated than boys, have poorer nutrition and get less medical attention. Many women — including educated, wealthy women — say they face intense pressure, most often from mothers-in-law, to have sons.