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Thursday, 14 June 2007, 16:44 GMT 17:44 UK

Medic held for 'female foeticide'

Foetus in womb Police in India have arrested the owner of a clinic near Delhi on suspicion of illegally aborting female foetuses.

The arrest followed a raid at the clinic in Gurgaon in Haryana state. Officials say the remains of several foetuses were found in a well nearby.

Police say clinic owner Dr AK Singh faces a number of charges. His son told Reuters news agency he was innocent.

According to one report, 10 million female foetuses may have been aborted in India over the past 20 years.

India, where boys have traditionally been favoured over girls, banned gender selection and selective abortion in 1994.

Skulls

The chief medical officer of Gurgaon district, SS Dalal, said the raid on the clinic, the Buella Nursing Home, followed a written complaint that illegal abortions were being carried out there.

"We have found several skulls and bones of foetuses that have been sent for forensic examination," Dr Dalal told the BBC's Jyotsna Singh.

A team of health experts went to the clinic late on Wednesday evening with one of the members posing as an ordinary patient.

Health officials say the search for more foetus remains is continuing.

"Dr AK Singh is not a qualified doctor and we suspect he was carrying out sex selective abortions with the help of his wife who is a qualified nurse," Dr Dalal said.

He said that Dr Singh did not have a licence to carry out ultrasound tests, commonly used for sex determination of foetuses.

Dr Singh's son, Sonu, said his father was innocent.

"Everything is political," he told Reuters news agency.



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Related to this story:
Gory tale of Punjab's lost girls (18 Aug 06 |  South Asia )
India sex selection doctor jailed (29 Mar 06 |  South Asia )
Religions target female foeticide (12 Nov 05 |  South Asia )
Indian girls 'more likely to die' (18 Jul 03 |  South Asia )
Soap opera fighting to save baby girls (22 Jan 05 |  Health )
India targets female foeticide (15 Feb 03 |  South Asia )
India's lost girls (04 Feb 03 |  South Asia )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
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Crusade against female infanticide
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