Bathinda couple arrested for child trafficking

BATHINDA: The district police arrested a couple from Bathinda’s Bhucho town on Tuesday for allegedly running a child trafficking racket and illegally conducting a gender-determination test of the foetus.

The accused have been identified as Gurmail Singh, a registered medical practitioner (RMP), and his wife Binder Kaur. More than ₹30 lakh was seized from their place.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Gurpreet Singh said the racket was unearthed after a team from the state health department raided the premises of Royal Enclave colony.

“During the raid, affidavits related to child adoption process were found in the accused’s house. A detailed investigation was initiated after arresting the accused. Finding child-adoption documents at the house of a private individual is unusual and we will find out the links of the entire chain behind the suspected trafficking of minors,” said the DSP.

Bathinda civil surgeon Dr TS Dhillon said following a tip-off, officials of the health department from Ludhiana and Bathinda raided the colony premises on Tuesday and recovered more than ₹30 lakhn from the accused.

“A decoy patient was sent to Gurmail on the pretext of getting a sex determination test conducted. During the raid, medical kits used for abortion and equipment used for conducting gender determination tests were found in the basement of the accused’s house,” said Dhillon.

A case has been registered under various sections of the Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and Sections 370 A (trafficking of minor for sexual exploitation in any manner) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.