Hyderabad | In a significant development in the illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket linked to Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, Hyderabad police arrested a woman doctor from Visakhapatnam at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) for her alleged role in the scam.
The doctor, whose name surfaced during the investigation, was apprehended on Monday, August 4, as she attempted to leave Hyderabad following a property transaction. She was named in one of four new FIRs filed in connection with the racket, with allegations of selling a child to a couple under the pretense of IVF and surrogacy.
According to a complaint, the doctor, in collaboration with an anaesthetist named Kalyani, falsely informed a couple that a baby girl was born through surrogacy using their biological samples. However, a subsequent DNA test confirmed that the child was not genetically related to them. Following this revelation, the couple approached the police, prompting her arrest.
A senior police official stated, “We had been tracking her for some time and apprehended her at the airport before she could return to Visakhapatnam. She is now in custody and will be interrogated regarding her involvement in the racket.”
The case is part of a wider investigation into a large-scale surrogacy scam allegedly run by Dr. A. Namratha, owner of a chain of fertility clinics across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The racket was exposed after a Hyderabad couple who paid ₹35 lakh for surrogacy discovered via DNA testing that the baby provided to them was not theirs.
Earlier, eight individuals including Dr. Namratha and the biological parents of one of the babies had been arrested. The racket involved misleading couples seeking surrogacy, forging documents—including false birth certificates—and exploiting vulnerable women, particularly those seeking abortions.
Police raids on the Gopalapuram and Visakhapatnam branches of the fertility centre revealed the clinics were operating without valid licenses and in violation of national medical and ethical guidelines. Authorities seized incriminating evidence including medical equipment, forged documents, surrogacy records, and digital devices.
The latest arrest marks the ninth in the case as authorities continue to widen the investigation and crack down on illegal fertility operations across the region.
