4 held in Badlapur human egg extraction racket, 40 women exploited

Thane: The ongoing investigation into the alleged illegal human egg extraction and sale racket in Badlapur has laid bare suspected links to Bengaluru and Telangana, with four women arrested so far, a police officer said on Tuesday.

According to police, at least 40 women may have been exploited for commercial extraction of eggs.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IV) Sachin Gore informed the media that the fourth accused, identified as Sonal Garewal, was arrested on Monday night.

Garewal allegedly assisted in illegal sonographies and stored ovulation-stimulating equipment in her house without possessing any medical degree, he said.

"We have seized illegal injections worth Rs 9.50 lakh to Rs 10 lakh from three locations following proper panchnamas. Four teams are investigating to identify more illegal centres and individuals involved," said Gore.

The racket came to light after a woman complained that she had not been paid for an egg donation. This led to a raid on the residence of the alleged kingpin, Sulakshana Gadekar (44), where hormonal injections were recovered.

Subsequent arrests included Ashwini Chabuskwar (29) and Manjusha Wankhede (46). Investigators suspect that an interstate network is involved in the crime.

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

"Preliminary findings suggest over 40 women may have been exploited. In one shocking instance, a donor was allegedly subjected to egg extraction 33 times, violating the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, which permits donation only once in a lifetime," a senior officer said.

Two hospitals in Ulhasnagar and Thane are currently under scrutiny for conducting sonographies without valid prescriptions. Authorities are examining medical records to verify legal compliance.

Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar has assured a thorough investigation, warning of strict action against any medical professionals or agents involved in the commercial sale of human eggs.