Three persons, including two women who were arrested for forcing a minor girl to donate her eggs eight times at a private fertility clinic in Erode, were booked under under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Friday, June 3. According to police, based on a complaint from some close relatives of the girl, her mother, the woman's partner and another woman were arrested on Thursday.
As per DTNext, the girl’s mother had separated from her husband and was living with her partner, a painter in Erode, since the victim was three years old. Her mother was reportedly selling the girl’s eggs routinely.
The first stage of the investigation revealed that the egg sales happened without the permission of the victim and her mother’s partner allegedly sexually assaulted the girl. The couple was paid Rs 20,000 for each egg and Rs 5,000 as a broker fee.
As per Polimer News, the victim's mother forced her to sell the eggs after she hit puberty at the age of 12. In the last four years, she reportedly sold the ova 8 times after her mother convinced her and faked her Aadhaar card with false name, age, and marital status.
They have sold up to 8 eggs to private hospitals in Dharmapuri, Hosur, Erode, and Salem and at a private fertility centre. The girl was threatened by her mother and her mother’s partner that she would be killed if she talked about this or divulged any information about the egg sales. However, last week, she left her house and informed her relatives about the situation and the trauma faced by her. Subsequently, the three accused were arrested on June 2.
Police are questioning the accused for further details on whether any more persons are involved in the crime. Police have also arrested a local person named Surampatti John for creating a fake Aadhaar card.
TNM tried to reach Erode South police station to know more details about the case, however, no response has been received yet.
With PTI inputs