The case came to light when an ASHA worker in Malavalli taluk, Mandya, noticed a 30-year-old pregnant woman looking weak during a routine health check.
Published Sep 24, 2025 | 8:00 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 24, 2025 | 8:00 PM
Authorities say this case highlights how border areas such as Ballari, Raichur and Vijayanagara are particularly vulnerable to cross-state illegal operations.
Synopsis: A joint operation by PCPNDT officials from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh has uncovered a cross-border female foeticide racket, leading to the arrest of middlemen at a nursing home in Kurnool. A Mandya woman, five months pregnant, was allegedly lured into an illegal abortion after a prenatal test revealed that the foetus was female. Strict coordination between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is being enforced under the PCPNDT Act to curb such practices.
The Karnataka Health Department has uncovered a case of cross-border female foeticide, in which a woman from Mandya district was taken to Andhra Pradesh to illegally terminate her pregnancy after being told the foetus was female.
The undercover joint operation, carried out on Sunday, 21 September by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh PCPNDT authorities, successfully arrested middlemen involved in the alleged crime at Basha Nursing Home in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao lauded the department’s swift action.
“Wherever female foeticide is carried out, strict action will follow. This is a social evil and society must wake up to stop it. It is a crime against humanity,” Gundu Rao, addressing the media in Bengaluru, said.
“The government and the Health Department are committed to eradicating it. But for this battle to succeed, society itself must change. Awareness is as important as enforcement.”
Authorities say this case highlights how border areas such as Ballari, Raichur and Vijayanagara are particularly vulnerable to cross-state illegal operations.
Strict coordination between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is being enforced under the PCPNDT Act to curb such practices.
The case came to light when an ASHA worker in Malavalli taluk, Mandya, noticed a 30-year-old pregnant woman looking weak during a routine health check.
On further questioning, the woman admitted she already had three daughters and had secretly undergone a sex-determination test through an agent in Andhra Pradesh.
The foetus was revealed to be female, and despite being five months pregnant, she was allegedly pressured by agents to undergo an illegal abortion.
Following this disclosure, Karnataka’s PCPNDT State Nodal Officer Dr Vivek Dorai coordinated with Andhra Pradesh Nodal Officer Dr KVN S Anil Kumar to plan a decoy operation.
On 21 September, the woman and her husband, under departmental supervision, visited Basha Nursing Home in Kodumuru, Kurnool district, as instructed by the agent.
The undercover team handed over ₹9,000 to the agent, identified as Seetamma, who conducted an ultrasound and pocketed ₹5,500, passing ₹2,000 to a medical store.
She also revealed that a quack, Dr Baby, a registered medical practitioner from Tilak Nagar, Guntakal, would carry out the abortion, demanding another ₹20,000.
Officials confirmed the cash exchange with pre-recorded currency serial numbers, providing crucial evidence for prosecution. The seized evidence has been handed over to the Andhra Pradesh PCPNDT team for further investigation and legal proceedings.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
