Two women detained for illegal foetal sex test and abortion plot in Tirupattur

Two women, K. Indrarani (60) and S. Geetha (45), were detained by Vaniyambadi Taluk police in Tirupattur district for performing an illegal sex‑determination test and planning to abort a foetus. The pair, residents of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, were contacted by wage‑labourers V. Jagadeesan (34) and his wife J. Pavithra (28) after the latter discovered she was pregnant again. The couple, who already have two daughters, used agents to arrange the test, learned the unborn child was a girl and then asked the women to help terminate the pregnancy. On Saturday the suspects arrived at Jagadeesan’s house in Girisamudiram village. A tip‑off led health officials, led by District Health Officer N. Kalu Sivalingam and health officer S. Aravind, to inspect the home, where they found medical equipment linked to the abortion attempt. Police and the health team interrogated the two women, who confessed to being hired by the couple. The case has been filed under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, and both accused are lodged in the Tirupattur sub‑jail while investigation continues. ## Context Sex‑determination before birth is illegal in India under the PCPNDT Act, aimed at preventing gender‑biased abortions. The incident reflects ongoing social pressure to avoid girl children despite legal safeguards.