Female foetus found in dustbin at Karnataka hospital; four detained

Bengaluru: An “illegally aborted” female foetus was found thrown in a dustbin in the operation theatre of a private hospital in Hoskote on Bengaluru’s outskirts, health department officials said on Thursday.

Four suspects, all women, were detained and an “unregistered radiologist” who owns the SPG Hospital and Diagnostic Centre in Bengaluru Rural district’s Thirumalashettyhally, is at large, police officers said.

Health department officials found the 16-to-20-week-old foetus wrapped in a black polythene cover and dumped in the dustbin on Wednesday when they were at the 20-bed hospital to seize an “unregistered portable ultrasound scanning machine”. The incident occurred weeks after a major sex-determination-cum-female foeticide racket was busted by Bengaluru police.

“On December 5, during regular inspection, the District Family Welfare Officer found an unregistered ultrasound machine at the SPG Hospital and Diagnostic Centre,” Dr Vivek Dorai, Deputy Director (Medical Acts), told DH.

On Wednesday afternoon, when the official visited the hospital again to seize the scanner after receiving permission from the district authorities, they found the hospital staff acting suspiciously.

“When the operation theatre was checked, the female foetus was found wrapped in a plastic cover and disposed of in the dustbin,” Dr Dorai said. “When the staff were asked for an explanation, they weren’t cooperative. The hospital has been sealed and some patients were moved to the Hoskote General Hospital on Wednesday evening.”

The official said the case sheet revealed the mother was admitted on December 10 and there were no other details. “She is yet to be traced. It appears that the hospital owner himself conducted the abortion.” While the hospital had the licence under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Act, it did not have permission to use the portable ultrasound scanning machine nor was it licensed under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act to conduct abortions, the FIR noted.

Based on the District Family Welfare Officer’s complaint, Thirumalashettyhally police registered a criminal case against Sreenivasa, the owner, nurses Anita and Netra, hired house help Revati and technician Radhika under relevant sections of the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and the IPC.

“Anita, Netra, Revati and Radhika have been detained and their questioning is underway,” Mallikarjun Baladandi, superintendent of police, Bengaluru Rural district, told DH. “A special team led by a police inspector has been formed to trace and arrest Sreenivasa.”

Dr Dorai said no official records of Sreenivasa, the hospital owner, being a radiologist were found so far.

“Prescription pads with the letterhead claiming that Sreenivasa was a radiologist were found in the hospital,” the officer said. “He, however, hasn’t been empanelled. If he was the radiologist, the ultrasound machine should have been empanelled in his name. We have found that the ultrasound machine was empanelled in the name of one Deepika, a gynaecologist, who doesn’t even visit the hospital.”