How an elaborate Telangana-AP surrogacy, baby-selling scam came undone
DNA testing of Rajasthani couple revealed 'their' baby was not theirs; IVF facilities without valid licences, oversight gap help racket flourish unchecked
A major illegal surrogacy and child-trafficking scam, which was recently been unearthed by the police in Secunderabad and resulted in the arrest of at least 10 people, including the head of a popular fertility centre, reportedly had its origin in Visakhapatnam.
While the racket came to light in Telangana, related activities, including the collection of eggs and sperms and handover of the infants, are said to have taken place in the coastal city in Andhra Pradesh.
All eyes on Dr Namratha
Dr Namratha Attaluri, alias Pachipalla Namratha, who owns the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, is the prime accused in the case. The centre has branches in several cities across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, including Secunderabad, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam.
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The doctor, with many decades of experience, faced legal trouble on more than one occasion in the past. In 2016, her licence was suspended for five years after an NRI couple alleged that the newborn given to them through surrogacy was not biologically related.
Four years later, she was arrested in Visakhapatnam along with five others for allegedly trafficking newborn babies, but received bail.
Fertility centres flourishing
However, despite those incidents, Namrata’s centres have remained in operations under new names.
Health officials have said that the facilities have operated without valid licences and an oversight gap may have helped such practices to continue unchecked.
The Universal Shrusti Fertility Centre in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
It has also been said that the Universal Srushti centres have often projected themselves to be among the best IVF centres in the country, influencing outstation patients.
The latest scam came to light when a couple from Rajasthan, who live in Secunderabad now, fell for the online advertisements and approached the local centre. They allegedly paid Rs 35 lakh to the clinic last year for a surrogacy procedure.
DNA shocker
The couple were reportedly sent to the Visakhapatnam branch, where the husband’s sperm and wife’s egg were collected last September. A baby was born on June 4 this year and the couple was asked to collect her.
The wife, Soni, went to Visakhapatnam the next day and was taken to the Lotus Hospital by a Srusthi staff member named Kalyani to see the newborn.
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But when Soni sought the DNA report, it was delayed many times. The couple then conducted an independent DNA test in Delhi and it confirmed their worst fears: the child was not biologically related to them.
Investigations suggested that a woman from Assam had delivered a baby at Lotus Hospital the same day and the child which was handed over to the Rajasthan couple was hers. The biological mother was reportedly sent to Hyderabad after the child’s birth. It was alleged that the woman received only Rs 90,000.
The couple then approached the Gopalapuram Police Station in Hyderabad.
Cops raid branches
The police raided branches in Gopalapuram and Visakhapatnam, where medical equipment, digital devices, surrogacy records, and forged documents were recovered. The licence for the current Visakhapatnam facility reportedly expired in 2023 and was not renewed, according to the health authorities. The centre has since been shut down.
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Authorities alleged that similar activities are being conducted at centres in Vijayawada and possibly other states. The Vijayawada facility reportedly faces previous cases as well, and officials claim it is currently functioning without permission.
Doctors linked to that branch are absconding, said some reports. Investigations are also said to be ongoing in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal in connection with surrogacy and child-trafficking allegations.
Police and health officers have said further investigation is underway to determine the extent of the alleged violations and prevent future incidents. Authorities also believe that more victims could come forward.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Andhra Pradesh.)