Gurugram: An illegal prenatal sex determination racket operating in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district was busted, and five people were booked following a decoy operation, an official said on Friday.According to officials, the racket was operating through a diagnostic centre in Sardhana, Meerut, where pregnant women were allegedly charged between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000 to determine the sex of the fetus. (Representative photo)The operation was carried out jointly by the Gurugram Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act cell and the Meerut health department after Gurugram civil surgeon Dr Lokveer Singh received a tip-off about an alleged network offering illegal fetal sex determination.According to officials, the racket was operating through a diagnostic centre in Sardhana, Meerut, where pregnant women were allegedly charged between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000 to determine the sex of the fetus. The network also facilitated illegal abortions if the fetus was found to be female, they said.To uncover the racket, the health department sent a pregnant woman as a decoy customer on June 25. Officials said the woman was allegedly charged ₹15,000 for an ultrasound examination and was subsequently informed that she was carrying a male fetus. Soon after the transaction, teams from the Gurugram and Meerut health departments raided the diagnostic centre and apprehended an alleged middleman and a doctor.During the inspection, the authorities also found that the ultrasound machine and the doctor conducting the examination were not registered under the PCPNDT Act, and the diagnostic centre had earlier been ordered to shut down by the health department, but was continuing to operate.The investigation also led to the naming of three other individuals for their alleged involvement in the case.The PCPNDT Act prohibits prenatal sex determination except for specified medical purposes and prescribes stringent penalties, including imprisonment and cancellation of registration, for those found violating its provisions.Health officials said a probe is underway to ascertain whether the accused were part of a larger interstate network.