Illegal Prenatal Sex-Determination Centre’s Owner & Wife Arrested In Odisha’s Cuttack City

Cuttack: The owner of a clinic in Odisha’s Cuttack city and his wife were arrested on Thursday following a raid by a special team of Health and Family Welfare department, which busted the prenatal sex determination and female foeticide centre being operated in a clandestine manner from a rented house at Roxy Lane in Badambadi area the previous day.

The arrested have been identified as Nijeet Mohapatra and his wife Mamina Mohapatra.

Another accused, Bhikari Parida, who was running the centre, had managed to flee during the simultaneous raids during which two potable ultrasound machines along with medicines for female foeticide were seized from Health Home Hospital near Palamandap and two rented houses in Roxy Lane, which were subsequently sealed, in presence of deputy collector Alakarani Debata on Wednesday. The renewal licence of the health facility was also cancelled, Additional Health Officer (AHO) Batakrushna Mahala informed.

According to preliminary investigation, Parida used to bring the portable ultrasound machine from the private nursing home to the rented houses to help people determine the gender of foetus. The clinic also allegedly conducted female foeticide, source said.

A senior official said that they also suspect involvement of Nijeet’s son, a few doctors and some staff of the centre in the illegal activity.

Notably, the Indian Parliament enacted the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, to prevent the determination of the sex of the foetus before birth.