Pune Illegal Abortion Racket: Gynaecologist Arrested, Woman Doctor Absconding

Pune rural police have widened their probe into an illegal abortion racket in Daund taluka, where a gynaecologist has been arrested and a woman practitioner is absconding amid allegations of unauthorised procedures, illegal drug storage, and falsified medical records.

An FIR has been registered at Yavat police station on the complaint of Dr Sachin Gujar, medical superintendent of the Sub-District Hospital, Daund , under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act .

The accused have been identified as Dr Tukaram Mote , a gynaecologist from Uruli Kanchan who has been arrested, and Dr Swati Lawangare , a BHMS practitioner and owner of the Lavangare Maternity and Infertility Hospital in Kedgaon , who is currently on the run.

Officials said the case surfaced after a district-level inspection on June 6 found serious irregularities in MTP registers, consent forms, and patient records , along with discrepancies in documentation of abortion procedures. Authorities also seized eight MTP kits from the hospital premises.

Investigators have further alleged that abortion procedures were conducted at the facility without proper authorisation, with Dr Lawangare reportedly carrying out procedures despite not being qualified as a gynaecologist.

Police also suspect that abortion-inducing drugs were illegally stocked and distributed from the hospital. Records allegedly show that Dr Mote’s name and signature were used in documentation linked to procedures, raising questions over his role in approving or facilitating the process.

Sources said the probe is now being expanded to examine whether the case is part of a wider illegal sex determination and foeticide-linked referral network in the Daund region, following earlier arrests in a related racket. The investigation is also focusing on links between unregistered practitioners, referral chains, and repeat MTP violations.