Erode, August 18: Police officials in Tamil Nadu’s Erode detained four people and slapped the Goondas Act against them for forcing a minor girl to sell her oocytes to private hospitals. The four, including the girl’s mother and stepfather, were detained on Thursday, August 18.

During the police investigation, officials also found that the minor had been sexually abused several times in the last five years, reported India Today.

The incident came to light after the minor fled from her home in Tamil Nadu’s Erode and took shelter at a relative's place in Salem and, with their help, filed a police complaint. Bengaluru Shocker: Man Strangulates Wife to Death After She Denies Him Sex Saying He Is Uncivilised; Arrested

During the investigation, police officials found that she was only 12 years old, when her mother took her to a private fertility clinic in Erode. There, she was forced to undergo a procedure where her eggs were retrieved and in exchange, her mother received a considerable amount of money for it. Over the last four years, this girl was forced by her mother and her mother’s partner, to have her ovum/eggs retrieved, a staggering eight times, to fertility centres located in Erode and neighbouring districts.  Karnataka Shocker: Principal, President and Lecturer of Private College in Dharwad Sexually Exploit Girl Students, FIR Lodged

According to Erode police, the fertility centres provided Rs 20,000 to the victim's mother and Rs 5,000 to an agent who is a friend of the victim's mother, for each forced retrieval.

The team conducting the investigation also found that the minor's Aadhar card was forged by an intermediary to modify her age.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2022 06:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).