Illegal Abortion Kits Racket Busted In Maharashtra, Case Against 8

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday said it has busted a racket involved in the illegal purchase and sale of medical abortion kits in Nagpur and Solapur districts and filed cases against eight individuals, including executives of an online portal.

The state government regulatory authority has seized MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) kits besides other medicines and registered cases against eight people, including directors of online portal IndiaMART.

The FDA, in a statement here, said its Nagpur and Solapur offices acted on August 12 against illegal sale of Clear Kit and Prega End, medicines used for abortion.

The action followed information about unauthorised storage and sale of the medicines.

In Nagpur, the FDA and police jointly busted a racket involved in the clandestine purchase and sale of medical abortion kits. During a surprise inspection of Dr Sachin Marghade's Shree Sai Clinic in Vinoba Bhave Nagar, officials found a large quantity of medicines stored for unauthorised sale. Labels and batch numbers on Prega End and Misopril kits used for abortion had also been deliberately removed or concealed, the FDA said.

The police subsequently laid a trap and arrested two persons allegedly involved in the supply chain. They were found carrying altogether 50 MTP kits in their bags and police are now searching for the person who allegedly supplied them, stated the regulator.

Officials seized unauthorised medicines, including Alprazolam and Sildenafil, worth Rs 45,649 from the Nagpur clinic. Police registered a case against the doctor (Sachin Marghade) and three others at the Yashodhara Nagar police station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act).

In Solapur in western Maharashtra, the FDA and local police raided the residence of a person allegedly selling abortion medicines to customers through the IndiaMART portal.

Officials seized an unauthorised stock of MTP kits valued at Rs 9,532. The stock had been sourced from outside Maharashtra and the online portal's involvement in sale of the medicines had emerged during the probe, according to the FDA.

Police registered a case against the directors of IndiaMART and three others at the MIDC police station in Solapur, while further investigation was underway, the FDA said.

Separate action was being taken under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act for unauthorised storage and sale of medicines in both cases (Nagpur and Solapur). The FDA said its action also included seizure of a combined stock of MTP kits, Alprazolam and Sildenafil worth Rs 54,181 in the two cases.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe warned that buying MTP kits or other abortion medicines without a doctor's prescription or using them without supervision by a trained and authorised medical professional could lead to serious health complications.

The FDA said it was keeping a watch on the illegal purchase and sale of such medicines and would take stringent action against those involved in such activities.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)