Badlapur/Thane, Apr 23: Thane Police have busted a major illegal egg donation racket operating from Badlapur East in Maharashtra, where financially vulnerable women were allegedly exploited through hormone injections and illegal egg extraction for sale to IVF centres.
The racket came to light after a woman approached health authorities claiming she had not been paid for donating eggs.
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Acting on the complaint, a joint team of Badlapur East Police and medical officials raided a flat in the Nano City building at Joveli, Badlapur East, and exposed the network.
Police said the operation had earlier functioned from Vangani before shifting to Badlapur.
Investigators revealed that agents lured poor women with promises of quick money, offering ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 per cycle, while some were paid as little as ₹10,000.
The accused allegedly administered ovulation-stimulating hormone injections at the women’s homes. After egg maturation, the women were taken for sonography tests and later sent to IVF centres for surgical extraction.
Officials said eggs collected beyond the legal limit were sold to multiple families for ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh each, while agents pocketed hefty commissions.
Police also found that fake Aadhaar cards and forged documents were used to create fake couples and facilitate repeated donations.
Some women were allegedly exploited more than 20 times over three years, leading to serious health issues.
So far, seven persons have been arrested.
Those held include Sulakshana Gadekar, Ashwini Chabukswar, Manjusha Wankhede, Sonal Garewal, Dr Amol Patil director of Malti IVF Centre branch and Satish Choudhary, accused of preparing forged identity cards.
At least 25 women have been confirmed as victims, while police suspect the number could exceed 500 across Maharashtra with possible interstate links.
During the raid, police recovered hormone injection photos, sonography reports, fake affidavits, forged documents and financial transaction evidence from mobile phones.
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A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and ART (Regulation) Act, 2021. Further investigations are underway to identify doctors, hospitals and IVF centres linked to the racket.
