Human egg extraction racket: Maharashtra women's panel chief chairs review meet

Thane, Feb 26 (PTI) Maharashtra State Women's Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar on Thursday convened a high-level review meeting in Badlapur in Thane district following the unearthing of a major illegal human egg extraction racket.

As per officials, at least 40 women from economically vulnerable backgrounds were lured into multiple donation cycles using forged Aadhaar documents to bypass regulations. A facility identified as Malti IVF Centre, licensed only for Nashik, was allegedly operating in Thane without authorization, they added.

The case appears far more serious than believed earlier, Chakankar said.

Investigation revealed that none of the five arrested accused possess medical qualifications, yet they allegedly administered hormonal injections and conducted extractions under anaesthesia, she said.

Chakankar directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local police to verify the licenses of all sonography centres and IVF clinics in the region.

She also called for statewide raids on medical stores selling medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits without prescriptions.

"The illegal sale of female eggs has exposed a massive network. We will continue to follow up to ensure a thorough investigation into the masterminds and the faulty drug supply chain," Chakankar said.

The racket came to light after a woman complained she had not been paid for an egg donation, which led to a raid on the residence of the alleged kingpin, where hormonal injections were recovered.

According to police, data seized from mobile phones suggest that donor women were lured with offers of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 and then transported to Bengaluru, Telangana, Nagpur, Pune and Nashik for extraction after receiving hormonal injections.

Preliminary findings suggest over 40 women may have been exploited, with one donor allegedly subjected to egg extraction 33 times, violating the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act 2021, which permits donation only once in a lifetime, as per police. PTI COR BNM