Maharashtra Women's Commission Probes Illegal Egg Extraction Racket in Badlapur
Rupali Chakankar, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women's Commission, convened a critical high-level review meeting on Thursday with Thane police officials, the state health department, civil administration, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The urgent gathering was called in response to the alarming discovery of an alleged illegal human egg extraction racket operating in Badlapur.
Serious Concerns Over Unqualified Procedures
Expressing grave concern during the meeting, Chakankar stated that the case appeared "far more serious than initially believed". She highlighted the disturbing possibility of unreported fatalities among egg donors, raising the stakes of the investigation. Chakankar pointed out a critical detail: none of the five individuals arrested so far—including four women—possessed any recognised medical or paramedical qualifications or expertise in IVF procedures.
"Despite this, hormonal injections were allegedly administered and egg extraction procedures conducted under anaesthesia, posing significant risks to women's health," she emphasized, underscoring the dangerous nature of the unauthorized operations.
Immediate Actions and Inspections Ordered
In response to the unfolding scandal, Chakankar directed the local administration, with a specific focus on the FDA, to immediately verify the legality, registration, and licensing status of all sonography centres, IVF clinics, and gynaecology and obstetrics hospitals operating in Badlapur and surrounding areas. Officials confirmed that an inspection drive commenced on Thursday and would be expanded based on preliminary findings.
Inputs reviewed at the meeting revealed that a facility identified as Malti IVF Center, which is licensed to operate only in Nashik, was allegedly functioning in Thane without proper authorisation. Chakankar instructed authorities to conduct a comprehensive probe to map the entire network, identify alleged masterminds, and take stringent legal action against all those found complicit.
Victims and Modus Operandi
Police officials informed the meeting that at least 40 women had come forward as donors, many of whom allegedly underwent multiple egg donation cycles. Investigators noted that these women were largely from economically vulnerable backgrounds, including those facing unemployment or domestic distress, making them easy targets for exploitation.
Further allegations from police include the creation of forged identity documents, such as manipulated Aadhaar details, to bypass regulations and facilitate repeated donations at different locations across the country. The racket came to light after a woman approached a health centre claiming she had not been paid for an egg donation procedure, triggering the investigation.
Arrests and Seizures
Earlier, police arrested Sulakshna Gadekar, Ashwini Chabuskar, and Manjusha Wankhede, who are accused of running the operation from their residences in Badlapur and Ulhasnagar. During searches, officers reportedly seized ovulation-stimulating injections worth more than Rs 10 lakh from their premises, highlighting the scale of the illegal activities.
According to investigators, financially distressed women were allegedly lured with promises of money, administered ovulation-stimulating injections without proper medical consultation, and subjected to unauthorised sonography tests. Once ovulation was induced, the women were allegedly referred to IVF/ART centres where eggs were extracted and purportedly sold illegally. Donor selection, officials claimed, was based on matching blood groups as per demand, indicating a systematic approach to the racket.
Legal Proceedings and Further Investigations
On Wednesday, the four women accused were produced before the Ambernath court. Relatives of the accused told media persons that the women were innocent and had merely worked as agents, demanding a fair investigation into their roles.
Chakankar also directed the FDA to examine the supply chain of hormonal injections and related medicines used in the alleged procedures. Separately, she flagged reports of illegal sale of medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits in districts such as Chandrapur and Bhandara, calling for statewide raids on medical stores suspected of selling abortion kits without prescriptions.
Thane police stated that multiple teams were actively pursuing leads and that further arrests were likely as the investigation deepens into this complex and distressing case.
