A major crackdown by Rajasthan’s Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) team on an illegal foetal sex-determination racket in Dabwali of Sirsa district has raised questions over the effectiveness of the local health machinery in curbing the practice.

After six months of surveillance and three decoy operations, the Rajasthan team on Thursday arrested an alleged middleman, Rakesh Kumar, accused of bringing pregnant women from Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar and Bikaner to Dabwali for illegal sex-determination tests. Another suspect is absconding, while the role of the hospital where the tests were allegedly conducted is under investigation.

According to NHM-Rajasthan officials, the team had been tracking the racket for the past six months. The accused managed to evade arrest twice but was caught during the third operation, in which a pregnant woman acted as a decoy customer.

Investigators alleged that the accused demanded Rs 36,500 for the illegal test and took the woman to a private Hospital on Chautala Road in Dabwali. Soon after he allegedly disclosed the foetus’ sex, the waiting team arrested him. Officials also seized ultrasound records, documents and other evidence from the hospital.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the racket allegedly misled families in the name of sex determination and, in many cases, falsely claimed that the foetus was female to persuade them to undergo abortion. Officials suspect the network may have been involved in several illegal abortions.

The investigation further found that the accused, a resident of Sangaria, Rajasthan was highly cautious. He allegedly verified the identity of pregnant women and their families before accepting cases, avoided face-to-face meetings and preferred online payments instead of cash to conceal his identity.

Officials said Rakesh Kumar had also been arrested in a similar PCPNDT case in 2019. This time, the operation was carried out by a special team led by Bikaner Joint Director Devendra Chaudhary, which finally succeeded in arresting him after repeated efforts.