- By Kamal Kumar
- Fri, 17 Nov 2023 10:17 AM (IST)
- Source:IANS
Varanasi Crime News: The Varanasi Police on Thursday busted a criminal gang preying on vulnerable teenage girls and women, coercing them into donating eggs for financial gain. The arrests of four individuals, including Anmol Jaiswal, Anita Devi, Seema Devi, and Ashish Kumar, were made following a complaint filed on October 29. The arrests came following a complaint filed by a woman on October 29. The complainant alleged that her daughter after being manipulated by Seema Devi, was coerced into donating her eggs at a Varanasi IVF centre in exchange for Rs 30,000. However, she was only given Rs 11,500.
Subsequently, an in-depth investigation led to the registration of a case under various IPC sections, including kidnapping, cheating, forgery, and exploitation of a trafficked person. Sections of the Aadhaar Card Act (2016) and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Act (2021) were also invoked against the perpetrators, said the Police.
Also Read: Delhi AQI Today: Clouds Of Smog Choke National Capital As AQI Remains In 'Severe' Category
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Amit Kumar Pandey, directed the Women's Police Station to lead the inquiry. Inspector Nikita Singh discovered that the gang had fraudulently coerced the Aadhaar cards and disguised underage girls as married women to avoid suspicion during visits to the IVF centre.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, RS Gautam, revealed that the gang targeted economically weaker teenage girls, enticing them with promises of money for egg donation. The accused forged documents and identity cards of many girls and took them to prominent IVF centres, where they donated the eggs. According to the police, these eggs were later sold to childless couples in exchange for exorbitant sums.
Dr Nikunj Verma, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), said that a prospective egg donor must be over 23 years old, married, and have at least one child who is a minimum of three years old. Furthermore, a woman is eligible to donate eggs only once in her lifetime, and the maximum number of eggs that can be collected from her is limited to seven.