Police summons two fertility hospitals over ovum donation

ERODE: Police on Saturday issued summons to two popular infertility cure hospitals here, following forcible donation of ovum (egg) by a minor girl. The police have registered cases against four persons including the girl's mother, the woman's paramour and two others and they were remanded to judicial custody. Additional Superintendent of Police of the district has been deputed to conduct investigation in the case. Police teams also visited infertility cure centres in Erode, Salem and Hosur, and conducted inquiries. Three people were arrested on Thursday on charges of forcing the 16-year-old girl to donate eggs to fertility clinics and hospitals, and were booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The matter came to light after the girl escaped from the trio and narrated the ordeal to her relatives in Salem. Subsequently, a complaint was lodged with the police by them.

Indirani, the victim's mother, was staying with her paramour, Syed Ali.

Syed Ali is said to have sexually assaulted the girl several times in the last four years and forced her to sell eggs to fertility clinics with the help of Malathy, an agent.

A 25-year-old man was also arrested here on Saturday for forging documents to falsely project the girl as an adult in order to sell her egg to fertility clinics. According to police, John, a resident of Surampatti near here, had provided the fake birth certificate and Aadhaar card of the girl to several fertility clinics in Erode, Salem and Hosur. The accused was arrested today after four hours of interrogation, they said.

The girl has been admitted in a hospital and is under medical observation.

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