On June 15, this year, while returning from Mehsana, the Salats threw Pooja and her daughters out of their car near a multiplex in Gandhinagar. They told her not to return until she brought Rs 25 lakh with her.

“The Salats, referring to themselves as millionaires, had asked Pooja to get an amount to match their status,” Goswami added.

Police further said that Pooja’s family and counsel had tried to work out a compromise, but nothing was finalised. Finally, an FIR was lodged at Ellisbridge Police on Friday.

“Chirag, his father, Suresh and other males in the family — Jigar, Atul, Milan, Yogendra, Parag, Sailesh, Apurva and Chandrakanta have been arrested, while eight female members of the family and Dr Joshi are yet to be arrested,” Ellisbridge Police Inspector Vinay Shukla said.

Apart from the offence of a female foeticide, the accused have also been booked on charges of physical and mental torture, obscenity, assault and for demanding dowry, police added.