Shocking details emerge as Bengaluru Police grill head nurse of now closed Mathaa Hospital 

Bengaluru/Mysuru: The Byappanahalli Police in Bengaluru have arrested Manjula, the head nurse of Mathaa Hospital in Udayagiri, Mysuru, owned by Dr. Chandan Ballal, the prime accused in the sex determination racket.

Manjula, who had eluded authorities following the racket’s exposure, was arrested on Dec. 1 after joining another hospital in Mysuru. Her arrest brings the total number of individuals arrested in connection with the racket to 10.

During her interrogation, Manjula made startling admissions, disclosing that, in collaboration with Dr. Chandan Ballal, the gang disposed of foetuses in dustbins. Providing grim details of the operation, she confessed to working as the head nurse in the hospital for the past year, primarily tasked with performing abortions. Pregnant women admitted to the hospital were administered tablets inducing bleeding to facilitate foetus removal.

The investigation revealed that sex determination tests were conducted at a jaggery production unit in Mandya district, where the accused had set up a lab and related facilities. Subsequently, abortions were carried out at Mathaa Hospital and Ayurvedic Piles Daycare Centre on Rajkumar Road in Mysuru.

Nurse reveals gory details

Manjula admitted to discarding 12-week-old foetuses into dustbins along with medical waste, decomposing within four days. Shockingly, she disclosed the abortion of 6-month-old foetuses, whose bodies were disposed of into the Cauvery River.

Having conducted around 70 abortions monthly, Manjula confessed to aborting foetuses up to six months old, starting from the 14th week of gestation. Describing the disturbing process, she revealed that these foetuses remained alive for five to 10 minutes after extraction. Nisar, another accused, was entrusted with disposing of them into the Cauvery River to eradicate evidence.

Engaged in abortions for six months without advanced scanning machines for accurate gender determination, Manjula resorted to Caesarean sections in cases of delayed gender identification. She highlighted challenges in determining foetal sex, sometimes advising patients to return for further development.

Manjula alleged that Dr. Chandan Ballal faced difficulties in scanning properly and questioned his qualifications to operate a nursing home, suggesting he might not have completed his MBBS course.