Egg smuggling probe: Nashik dentist arrested as Thane police widen search for key suspect

Police investigating an inter-state egg smuggling racket based in Thane have arrested a Nashik dentist accused of using an IVF centre, registered in his wife’s name, to arrange illegal surrogacy contracts. With six suspects now in custody, teams in Badlapur, Ulhasnagar, and Thane are conducting raids to trace the alleged mastermind.

Police investigating an inter-state egg smuggling network linked to Thane district have arrested a dentist from Nashik, an official said on Wednesday. Police alleged the suspect helped arrange illegal surrogate mother contracts through an IVF facility. With this arrest, six people were in custody. Police teams were also searching for the alleged mastermind behind the operation.

A Badlapur Police officer said Dr Amol Patil, who runs the Malti IVF Center in Nashik’s Mumbai Naka area, was held late Tuesday night. Police said the centre was registered in Dr. Patil’s wife’s name. Investigators alleged Dr Patil used the facility for banned surrogacy deals and egg smuggling activities.

Egg smuggling racket: raids and search for mastermind

DCP Sachin Gore, Ulhasnagar, said police had formed multiple teams to trace the key organiser. "three police teams are currently conducting raids to reach the mastermind.\" A senior officer from Ulhasnagar in Thane district said teams were carrying out raids at several locations. Police said the suspected network operated across Badlapur, Ulhasnagar, Thane, and Nashik.

Investigators said the group targeted women facing financial hardship and pushed repeated egg donations. Police alleged forged identity papers were used to hide repeat donations. \"The gang used fake Aadhaar cards to show a single woman as multiple donors under different names, bypassing legal limits.\" Officers said this method helped the accused avoid checks at clinics.

Egg smuggling racket: seized medicines and alleged exploitation

\"We have seized medicines and injections worth over Rs 15 lakh.\" Police suspected more than 500 women were exploited in the process. Officers said donors received about Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 each. Police alleged the eggs were later sold for much higher sums, running into lakhs.

\"Our investigation shows that photos of numerous women, fake affidavits, and sonography reports were found on the mobile phones of the arrested accused. We are now scrutinising several other IVF and sonography centers in Thane and surrounding districts to catch the big fish involved in this illegal trade,\" he said. Police said these checks were continuing.

Police said Dr Patil was produced before a local court on Wednesday. The court remanded Dr Patil to police custody until March 9. Police said the custody would help them verify clinic records and trace links. The other arrested accused were named as Sulakshana Gadekar, Ashwini Chabukswar, Manjusha Wankhede, Sonal Garewal, and Sumit Sonkamble.

With inputs from PTI