GURGAON: Gurgaon police have arrested an fake doctor for allgedly conducting illegal abortions and running a clinic without a valid medical degree, news agency PTI reported quoting officials on Monday.As per the PTI report, a medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kit, a large quantity of pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment were recovered from the accused, identified as 27-year-old Kamal Mahto.The Gurgaon nodal officer under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act lodged a complaint at the Sector-65 police station on Sunday, stating that secret information had been received that Mahto was running a clinic named “Kamal Clinic” without possessing any valid medical degree.He was allegedly posing as a doctor and illegally carrying out abortions on pregnant women, the complaint said, according to PTI.Acting on the information, a pregnant woman was sent to the clinic as a decoy customer. The accused allegedly charged her Rs 1,200 for performing an abortion and handed her an MTP kit, while also explaining how to use it.After receiving a pre-arranged signal from the decoy customer, a police team raided the clinic and apprehended Mahto.During interrogation, Mahto allegedly admitted that he had studied only up to Class 12 and did not possess any recognised medical degree. Police also found that his clinic was not registered under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.He allegedly failed to produce patient records or documents relating to the purchase, sale or distribution of medicines, police said.A case was subsequently registered against him at the Sector-65 police station and he was arrested.Police identified Mahto as a native of West Bengal’s Malda district who was residing in Ghata village in Gurgaon.“We are questioning the accused and further investigation underway,” a senior police officer said.Wider network suspectedThe arrest comes days after two separate decoy operations in Gurgaon exposed what officials suspect could be a wider network involved in the unauthorised sale of medical abortion kits through pharmacies.Two men posing as doctors were arrested in separate raids in Sohna and Ghata, while three pharmacy operators were named as co-accused in separate FIRs following health department operations.One of the accused, Vinod, was arrested in Sohna, while Vikas Tanwar was apprehended in Ghata. During questioning, Vinod allegedly told investigators that he had studied only up to Class 10 and had no medical qualification. He reportedly said he had been practising from a pharmacy for around two months.Tanwar, who allegedly studied up to Class 12, also had no medical qualification and reportedly told investigators that he had been treating patients from a medical store for around eight months.Separate FIRs were registered at Sohna and Sector 56 police stations under provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, National Medical Commission Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.In both cases, the accused allegedly sold MTP kits without prescriptions, explained how to use the drugs and were apprehended after accepting marked cash during decoy operations.Investigators are now examining whether the separate cases are linked to a larger network involved in the unauthorised sale of abortion medication in Haryana.Why the issue is raising concern in HaryanaThe developments have raised concerns against the backdrop of Haryana’s long-running battle over its sex ratio at birth and illegal sex-selective practices.Gurgaon’s sex ratio at birth has fluctuated considerably over the past five years, with the district recording a sharp decline in 2024 before a marginal recovery in 2025.Gurgaon’s sex ratio at birth stood at 921 girls per 1,000 boys in 2020, fell to 908 in 2021 and then improved to 925 in 2022 and 928 in 2023. However, it dropped to 899 in 2024 and recovered only marginally to 901 in 2025.Haryana, meanwhile, recorded a sex ratio at birth of 922 in 2020, 914 in 2021, 916 in both 2022 and 2023, before falling to 910 in 2024 and recovering to 923 in 2025.The figures have renewed concerns over the gains made under the government’s Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign. Haryana, which had recorded a sex ratio of 834 girls per 1,000 boys during the 2011 Census period, had improved its sex ratio at birth to 923 by 2019 following years of enforcement and awareness campaigns.The state’s sex ratio at birth subsequently declined to 910 in 2024, marking its lowest level since 2016.(With agency inputs)
