Kolkata: For thirty years she led a normal life with no complications, until recently, when doctors, while treating her for abdominal pain, discovered that she was a 'man' suffering from testicular cancer.
Surprisingly, her 28-year-old sister, who underwent necessary tests following the revelation, was also diagnosed with 'Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome' -- a condition in which a person is born genetically male, but has all physical traits of a woman.
The 30-year-old Birbhum resident, married for the last nine years, had visited city-based Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Cancer Hospital with severe pain in lower abdomen a couple of months ago, following which clinical oncologist Dr Anupam Dutta and surgical oncologist Dr Soumen Das conducted her medical tests, and found out her "true identity".
"From her appearance, she is a woman. Starting from her voice, developed breasts, normal external genitalia, everything is that of a woman. However, uterus and ovaries have been absent since birth. She has also never experienced menstruation," Dr Dutta told PTI.
It's a very rare condition, and can be found one in every 22,000 people, he said.
After test reports suggested that the person has a "blind vagina", doctors decided to conduct Karyotyping test, which revealed that her chromosome complement was 'XY' and not 'XX', as found in a woman.
"We conducted clinical examinations, after she complained of abdominal pain, and found out she has testicles inside her body. A biopsy was conducted, following which she was diagnosed with testicular cancer, also called seminoma, Dr Dutta explained.
Currently, she is undergoing chemotheraphy and her health condition is stable.
"As her testicles remained undeveloped inside the body, there was no secretion of testosterone. Her female hormones, on the other hand, gave her the appearance of a woman," Dr Dutta stated.
Asked about her reaction to the revelation, he said, "The person has grown up to be a woman. She is married to man for almost a decade. Currently, we are counselling the patient and her husband, advising them to continue living life as they have been."
It was learnt, that the couple had tried for babies a number of times but failed. The patient's two maternal aunts were also diagnosed with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome in the past, the oncologist said.
"It's probably in the genes. We have come to know that two of her aunts from the maternal side were also suffering from similar condition," he added.
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Chennai/New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has shared fresh inputs regarding an alleged Rs 366 crore worth money laundering and corruption ring in the transfer and appointments of officials and engineers in Tamil Nadu's Department of Municipal Administration Urban and Water Supply, officials said on Tuesday.
The federal probe agency's Chennai zonal office has sent a letter in this context to state chief secretary and the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) seeking registration of a police FIR against minister K N Nehru and some others linked to him.
The ED had also written two separate letters to the state government authorities in October and December last year claiming "wide spread" corruption in the department's tenders and recruitments and linked Nehru to these charges.
The minister had then defended himself, saying he was being continuously targeted by the ED in a bid to defame him and said that he would legally face the charges.
Nehru had condemned the ED and alleged that it joined the ranks of the opposition parties that cannot tolerate the achievements of the DMK and hence was "continuously targeting" to "defame" him.
Officials said the alleged corruption instances in the municipal administration urban and water supply department's transfer and posting came to the notice of the ED in April 2025 during searches in a bank loan "fraud" case where relatives and purported associates of Nehru were covered.
The said probe was initiated by the ED on the basis of a CBI FIR which was later quashed and the ED case fell through as the predicate offence was closed. The accused in the bank "fraud" case repaid the loan through a one-time settlement, as per officials.
The ED, hence, utilised its powers available under section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to share these inputs and "evidence" with the state government and police so that they book a criminal case, which in turn, can become its foundation to file a PMLA case.
The said PMLA provision empowers ED to share information and evidence regarding an offence with the police or a designated law enforcement agency.
In its latest communication, the ED informed the Tamil Nadu government that it has recovered photos, WhatsApp chats and documents which show "many" instances of bribes being collected for the transfer and posting of government officers and engineers in the municipal administration urban and water supply department.
It claimed alleged bribe amounts ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 1 crore, depending on a case-to-case basis, was being transacted in the case of about 340 the municipal administration urban and water supply department officials. The agency alleged the data shared by it in the relevant communication was of a "limited" period and that this claimed bribery ring was wider.
The agency said the bribe funds of Rs 365.87 crore were utilised in real estate, investments in other properties, including foreign assets, gold bullion and for luxury expenditure, including liquor.
The agency stated in the letter that filing of a police FIR on these charges made by the ED was essential as laid down by the Supreme Court in the Vijay Madanlal Choudhary case of 2022.
"The Supreme Court has also held that where FIR is not registered, appropriate remedy as may be permissible in law, to ensure that the culprits do not go unpunished and proceeds of crime are secured and dealt with as per the dispensation provided in PMLA, may be taken by ED," the agency said.
The ED, in 2025, had shared two such communications with the TN government authorities claiming irregularities and corruption in the municipal administration urban and water supply department.
The first was linked to an alleged recruitment scam in the said department as it claimed that certain public servants and politicians were involved while the second pointed to a Rs 1,020 crore corruption in the tenders and contracts awarded by the municipal administration urban and water supply department.
