Now Reading: ED seizes Rs 29 lakh in illegal human egg extraction racket
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ED seizes Rs 29 lakh in illegal human egg extraction racket
The Story in Brief
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 29 lakh in cash, frozen bank lockers and mutual fund investments, and recovered incriminating documents and digital devices during searches linked to an alleged illegal human egg extraction racket. The ED's Mumbai Zonal Office-II conducted searches on 16 October at 10 premises, including hospitals and IVF centres in Thane, Baramati and Nashik, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The investigation stems from a police case alleging cheating and forgery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with violations of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The allegations involve Manjusha Wankhede and 16 others. According to the ED, the network recruited financially vulnerable women for egg donation, using forged documents to conceal identities and enable repeat procedures. The ED said it had identified additional donor agents and traced multiple properties and investments.
The police investigation has raised suspicions that more than 40 women were exploited, with one woman allegedly undergoing egg retrieval 33 times. The ED is continuing its investigation to identify other networks.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both abplive.com and yespunjab.com cover the ED searches as straight news, attributing all claims to the ED statement and the underlying police case. abplive.com includes more detail from the police investigation, such as the allegation that one woman underwent egg retrieval 33 times and that more than 40 women may have been exploited, while yespunjab.com stays closer to the ED's official release. The core facts, the Rs 29 lakh seizure, the 10 premises searched, and the alleged use of forged documents, are identical in both reports. The coverage is uniform and neutral, with no outlet adopting a critical or approving stance toward the investigation. The next step is the ED's ongoing probe to trace the full network.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): abplive.com (neutral report), yespunjab.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
