Thane: Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have busted a major illegal egg donation racket, arresting three women accused of repeatedly exploiting economically vulnerable women and selling their eggs through IVF channels for large sums of money.
Investigators said the accused lured women with payments ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 per cycle, while the extracted eggs were allegedly sold for several lakhs to clients seeking fertility treatments. At least 20 women are believed to have fallen victim to the operation so far, with many subjected to repeated hormonal stimulation and surgical retrieval procedures that caused significant health complications.
Operated from residential flat and sonography centre
According to officials, the racket was being run from a residential apartment and a sonography centre in the Joveli area of Badlapur East. The operation came to light after one of the victims approached the chief medical officer of a sub-district hospital, prompting a police raid.
During the search, officers recovered photographs of hormone injections, sonography reports, affidavits bearing false identities, forged documents, and digital evidence of financial transactions from the accused persons’ mobile phones. Investigators believe these documents were used to conceal the identities of donors and present illegal procedures as legitimate medical processes.
Certified Cyber Crime Investigator Course Launched by Centre for Police Technology
Repeated hormonal procedures and surgical extraction
Police said the victims were administered hormone injections to stimulate excessive egg production and were subjected to frequent sonography tests. Once the eggs matured, the women were taken to IVF centres where surgical extraction was carried out.
Many of the victims were allegedly forced to undergo multiple donation cycles, raising serious concerns about long-term reproductive health risks. Officials described the practice as a form of physical exploitation under the guise of medical treatment.
Racket shifted locations to avoid detection
Preliminary findings indicate that the network was earlier operating from the Vangani area before relocating to Badlapur in an attempt to evade scrutiny. Police are now probing the broader network to determine whether IVF clinics, doctors, or hospital staff were complicit in the illegal trade.
Authorities said the total financial turnover of the racket could run into crores of rupees, and the investigation may uncover the involvement of influential individuals connected to the fertility industry.
Legal action under ART law and penal provisions
A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act. The arrested accused have been identified as Sulakshana Gadekar (44), Ashwini Chabukswar (29), and Manjusha Wankhede (46).
Police said efforts are underway to identify and medically assess the victims, who will be provided counselling and healthcare support. Forensic analysis of seized mobile phones and documents is expected to reveal the full scale of the network, including financial flows and links to fertility centres.
Trafficking-like pattern and health concerns
Investigators noted that the modus operandi bore similarities to human trafficking, with financially distressed women being repeatedly recruited and subjected to invasive medical procedures for profit. Medical experts have warned that unregulated and frequent egg retrieval can lead to hormonal imbalance, ovarian complications, and long-term fertility issues.
Police indicated that further arrests are likely as the probe expands to trace the supply chain, financial beneficiaries, and medical establishments involved in the illegal reproductive trade. Authorities said strict action would be taken against all those found complicit in exploiting women under the pretext of fertility treatment.
