Daijiworld Media Network – Morena
Morena, Oct 18: In a shocking incident, a former peon impersonating a doctor was caught red-handed while allegedly conducting illegal fetal sex determination tests in Morena, one of Madhya Pradesh’s districts with a low sex ratio, officials said on Saturday.
The accused, 30-year-old Sanju Sharma, was arrested in a joint raid by health department teams from Gwalior and Morena, along with social worker Meena Sharma, near Gadora Pura on Joura Road in Morena city on Friday.
Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Padmesh Upadhyay said the raid was carried out under the direction of Morena District Collector Lokesh Jangid following a tip-off. A decoy woman accompanied by a policewoman in plain clothes was used to trap the accused. Sharma was caught with a portable ultrasound machine as he began conducting the tests.
A case has been registered at Civil Lines police station, and the ultrasound machine has been seized. Sharma was handed over to Morena police for further action.
Officials revealed that Sharma, who posed as a doctor, was actually employed as a peon with the district education department at Bilgaon Middle School. He had been suspended in November 2024 due to involvement in illegal activities.
Dr. Praval Pratap Singh of the Gwalior health department said that Sharma had been under surveillance for months. About six months ago, a man caught in Jaipur selling a portable ultrasound machine had identified Sharma as conducting illegal fetal sex determination tests. The authorities had been tracking him since then.
Dr. Singh also noted that on May 2, 2025, another group led by Pankaj Tiwari along with an ASHA worker had been arrested for similar offences. “This is the second network involved in illegal testing, led by Sanju Sharma,” he said.
Social activist Meena Sharma stated that Sharma and his agents conducted door-to-door fetal sex determination tests, charging between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 per test. “If the fetus was female, they demanded large sums to terminate the pregnancy. Their operations extended across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi,” she added.
Morena continues to have one of the lowest sex ratios in the state. According to the 2011 census, there were 840 females per 1,000 males, compared to 822 in 2001, with some villages reporting ratios as low as 541 females per 1,000 males. However, the current ratio has improved to 922 females per 1,000 males, officials said.