Varanasi, Nov 17 (IANS): In a major development, the Varanasi Police Commissionerate has busted a criminal gang allegedly involved in coercing teenage girls and women into donating their eggs for financial gain.

Four persons -- including Anmol Jaiswal, 29, from Sonbhadra; Anita Devi, 34, from Khojawan in Varanasi; and the couple Seema Devi, 30, and Ashish Kumar, 35, from Jaitpura, Varanasi -- have been arrested so far.

The arrests were made on Thursday after a complaint was filed on October 29 by a woman who alleged that her daughter, under the influence of Seema Devi, had been made to donate eggs at an IVF centre in Varanasi in exchange for a promised amount of Rs 30,000. However, the victim received only Rs 11,500.

A thorough investigation led to the registration of a case against the accused under various sections of the IPC, including kidnapping, cheating, forgery, exploitation of a trafficked person, as well as sections of the Aadhaar Card Act (2016) and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Act (2021).

Assistant commissioner of police, Kotwali, Amit Kumar Pandey, directed the women police station to handle the inquiry.

Inspector Nikita Singh, heading the Women Police Station, discovered that Seema and her husband had coerced a 17-year-old girl into donating eggs by promising her Rs 30,000.

To disguise her age, Anmol Jaiswal fraudulently altered the girl’s Aadhaar card, while Seema and Ashish dressed her as a married woman to avoid suspicion during the visit to the IVF centre.

Further probe uncovered the involvement of three additional individuals, leading to the arrest of all four accused.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kashi Zone, RS Gautam, said that the gang targeted economically weaker teenage girls, luring them with promises of money for egg donation.

Subsequently, the gang produced fake documents and took the victims to a prominent IVF centre in the city, where they donated eggs that were later sold to childless couples at exorbitant prices.