Dr Nutan Sharma, accused of retrieving eggs from a minor in exchange for money, has quietly appeared before police and prosecutors and been released.

Sharma appeared at the Lalitpur District Police Range on August 6. She was questioned by a government attorney and released after giving a statement.

Bharat Kumar Mainali, an assistant government attorney at the Lalitpur District Government Attorney’s Office, said Sharma was released on a personal recognisance bond because police had not obtained an arrest warrant from the court.

“She came on her own with an application, so we recorded her statement and released her,” Mainali told Kantipur. “The investigation has not been completed. Police are still carrying out the necessary investigative work.”

According to a police investigator involved in the case, Sharma told investigators that she did not know the 17-year-old girl was a minor. The officer quoted Sharma as saying that checking the girl’s age and other details was the responsibility of other staff, not hers.

“I was in the Philippines and could not come to the police earlier,” Sharma reportedly told investigators.

The case came to light after the girl, now 17, became seriously ill. Her family then learned that she had undergone an egg retrieval procedure and approached the police.

The girl initially suffered persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain and repeated bouts of unconsciousness. Her family took her to several hospitals for treatment.

Doctors initially suspected a urinary tract infection and later tested her for intestinal worms and tuberculosis, but none of the tests established a diagnosis. A subsequent ultrasound examination showed that her ovaries were swollen and that the condition had affected her lungs. She was then rushed to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj for treatment.

It was only afterwards that the family learned what had happened. According to the family, the girl had been taken to the IVF centre at B&B Hospital in Gwarko by a young woman known to them, who had offered her Rs30,000 in exchange for her eggs.

The girl told investigators that she had been assured that egg donation would not cause any harm. She was given medication through injections and told to return a week later. She underwent the egg retrieval procedure on June 28, according to her statement.

Following a complaint filed by the family, the Lalitpur District Police Range began investigating the case under offences related to human organ trafficking.

During the investigation, police arrested 21-year-old Radhika Gotame, who is originally from Lamjung and lives in Lalitpur. She was later released on a personal recognisance bond on the instructions of government prosecutors.

Police also collected WhatsApp conversations between Sharma and Gotame, along with records of their bank transactions.

Investigators involved in the case said the records showed that Sharma had transferred Rs50,000 at a time to Gotame. Preliminary findings indicate that Rs30,000 of that money was given to the girl.

The investigation is continuing.