The National Commission for Women has swung into action over a brazen illegal egg trading racket uncovered in Maharashtra’s Badlapur, where poor women were ruthlessly exploited. Directives to police and the state government demand exhaustive inquiries and victim aid.
Stemming from a media story on February 21, NCW’s Chairperson tasked the DGP with tracing the operation’s tentacles, ensuring prompt health and psycho-social care, and delivering an ATR posthaste within five days. The state commission mirrored this with a pivotal conclave involving police and medics.
A complainant’s unpaid compensation claim cracked the case open, exposing a scheme preying on hardship with financial bait. Women received injections covertly before IVF center visits for egg procurement.
Suspected toll: 40-plus women, one subjected to 33 procedures—a perilous violation of the 2021 ART law capping lifetime donations at one and prohibiting payments. Experts highlight risks of infertility, clots, and chronic issues.
Custody holds four women and a man, including key figure Sulakshana Gadekar; more arrests loom as clinic links surface. This scandal underscores regulatory gaps in assisted reproduction, pushing for ironclad protections against human trafficking disguised as donation.