Police arrest Sopore doctor, 5 others for terminating minor’s pregnancy

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday said that a doctor and five of his associates were arrested for illegal termination of pregnancy of a minor girl.

“In a prompt action, on a report from Victim Liaisoning Officer, deputed with a minor rape victim in a previous case FIR No.14/2021 U/S 376 IPC that the girl (name with held) has been subjected to compulsive delivery of baby by some unknown doctor and that the infant may have been killed during such illegal procedure, Ganderbal Police filed a fresh case FIR No.24 of 2021 U/S 326, 312 IPC at Police Station Ganderbal and initiated investigation into the case,” police said in a statement.

“SSP Ganderbal Khalil Ahmad Poswal constituted a team under the supervision of DySP Head Quarters Ganderbal Dr Abdul Majid including SHO Ganderbal Khurshid Ahmad Awan to nab the accused,” the statement said.

Police said the victim girl revealed that her family members took her to the accused doctor’s clinic in Sopore where she was subjected to illegal termination of pregnancy.

The accused doctor was subsequently arrested and identified as one Dr Ghulam Nabi Bhat, son of Mohammad Sultan Bhat, a resident of New Colony Sopore.

Further leads into the gruesome crime also led to the arrest of five other persons for providing the doctor with logistic and technical assistance in carrying out the illegal procedure nearly at term stage.

They have been identified as Altaf Khan, son of Mehboob Khan; Ulfat, wife of Altaf Khan; Haseena Begum, wife of Abdul Gani Khan, a resident of Dedrambagh Ganderbal; Bashir Ahmad Kumar, son of Ali Mohd Kumar, a resident of Baghi Mehtab, and Afrooza, wife of Ghaznafar Ali Hajam, a resident of Alamgari Bazar.

“Investigation in the case is going on and more arrests are expected.” (GNS)