More than 40 women are suspected to have been exploited in an illegal human egg extraction racket in Maharashtra's Badlapur, where one donor allegedly underwent the procedure 33 times. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted searches in connection with the racket, which lured economically distressed women with payments of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 for their eggs.
The racket was unearthed by the Thane police in February, leading to the arrest of three women, including alleged local kingpin Sulakshana Gadekar.
The network was operating out of Badlapur East and involved the recruitment of women, the administration of fertility-related injections and egg extraction procedures at collaborating medical facilities for commercial sale, according to officials.
The repeated extraction procedures and the alleged lack of proper medical supervision have raised serious concerns about the exploitation of women and the medical practices involved.
According to the investigation, Gadekar ran the operation from her home, where ovulation-stimulating injections were stored and administered without proper medical supervision.
The women were subjected to unauthorised sonography-guided procedures before being taken to collaborating in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and medical centres. Doctors at these facilities extracted eggs from the women in operation theatres for commercial sale.
Investigators suspect that the network targeted economically distressed women by offering them payments ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000. More than 40 women are suspected to have been exploited through the operation.
One of the most serious allegations concerns a donor who allegedly underwent egg extraction 33 times, highlighting the extent of the suspected medical abuse.
The investigation has also widened to examine the alleged involvement of agents and medical professionals who may have facilitated the procedures. Multiple healthcare facilities in the area have come under scrutiny as authorities probe the network's operations.
According to officials, the racket violated provisions of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, which governs assisted reproductive technology procedures and regulates human egg donation.
The law permits a woman to donate eggs only once in her lifetime and prohibits financial gain from such donations. The alleged payments made to women and the repeated extraction procedures are among the key concerns in the case.
Investigators have also examined the alleged role of medical facilities in carrying out extraction procedures for commercial purposes, as the probe seeks to establish the links between those recruiting the women and the facilities where the procedures took place.
Following the Thane police investigation, several local healthcare facilities were placed under scrutiny as authorities expanded their probe into the alleged network of agents and medical professionals.
The investigation has focused on the suspected links between those who recruited women, those who administered ovulation-stimulating injections and the medical facilities where the eggs were extracted.
The ED's searches in Badlapur on Friday mark a further development in the investigation into the alleged illegal extraction and commercialisation of human eggs.
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