The 16-year-old-girl who was allegedly forced to sell her oocytes to private hospitals through a forged Aadhaar card attempted to end her life at a government home at R.N. Pudur here on Tuesday night.
G.S. Gomathi, Joint Director of Health Services, Erode, told The Hindu that she consumed floor cleaner and was admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital where she is undergoing treatment. She said that the girl was out of danger and would be discharged on Thursday. “The girl insisted on going home. Since inquiry is in progress, her request could not be accepted and hence she took this decision,” she added.
Currently, the district police and a team from the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) are conducting inquiries with four private hospital doctors and staff.
The girl, in her complaint to the police, said her mother S. Indirani alias Sumiya, 38, separated from her father when she was three-years-old and had, since been, living with A. Syed Ali, 40, for 13 years. She told the police that she was sexually assaulted for five years by Syed Ali. She was taken to hospitals where her oocytes had been sold eight times since 2017. Her mother and Syed Ali received ₹20,000 for each visit to hospitals while the intermediary K. Malathi, 36, received ₹5,000 in commission.
A. John, 25, prepared a new Aadhaar card with a different name and date of birth for the purpose. The police arrested all the four and lodged them in prison.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044- 24640050).
