Surat Police Arrest Fugitive Pharmacist Running Illegal Abortion Racket

Surat: The Surat City Police on Thursday arrested fugitive pharmacist Ramgopal Khandelwal, who is accused of running an illegal abortion racket at a hospital in the Varachha area of the city. He was apprehended near Anjana Farm following a search operation.

According to the police, Khandelwal was allegedly operating an illegal abortion network under the name of Mamata Multi-Specialty Hospital. Officials investigating the case were reportedly shocked by the scale of the illegal activities allegedly being carried out at the facility.

Khandelwal was earlier arrested in November 2025 for allegedly conducting illegal abortions under the name of Shivaay Hospital. Despite a criminal case being registered against him, he allegedly resumed operations within six months by reopening the facility under a new name at the same location.

Investigators alleged that the accused conducted pregnancy tests at patients’ homes for Rs 10,000 and charged around Rs 15,000 for unsafe abortions.

A recent raid by the Health Department at Mamata Multi-Specialty Hospital exposed the alleged illegal activities. During the operation, officials reportedly found that portable sonography machines were being used for illegal pregnancy tests, while abortions were allegedly being carried out unlawfully at the hospital.

Police suspect the network extended beyond Gujarat, with women from Maharashtra and Rajasthan reportedly travelling to Surat for abortions.

The case has also raised questions over the functioning of local health authorities, as the alleged illegal activities reportedly continued despite earlier action against the accused. Officials are now likely to investigate whether other persons or agents were linked to the racket.

Police said Khandelwal would be produced before a court to seek remand for further investigation. Authorities are also probing how the accused allegedly managed to run the operation without a medical degree and whether others were involved in facilitating the illegal activities. DeshGujarat