Surrogacy scam: 8 more cases booked against fertility clinic owner in child trafficking racket

Gopalapuram police have filed eight new cases against Universal Srushti Fertility Centers’ owner Dr A Namratha and associates, accused of running a Rs 40 lakh illegal surrogacy and child trafficking racket across multiple states, using fake DNA reports and forged documents

Hyderabad: Gopalapuram police have booked eight more criminal cases against Dr A Namratha, the owner of Universal Srushti Fertility Centers and several of her associates, for their alleged involvement in an extensive illegal surrogacy and child trafficking racket.

A total of 25 people, including Namratha, her son Jayanth Krishna, an advocate, doctors, medical staff, agents, and birth parents, have been arrested for their alleged role in the organised criminal network.

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North Zone DCP S Rashmi Perumal said Namratha allegedly ran an elaborate scam exploiting vulnerable couples emotionally and financially. The racket involved charging couples between Rs 11 lakh to Rs 22 lakh, promising legal surrogacy, and later handing over babies sourced from unrelated mothers through a network of agents. Clients were shown fake DNA and medical reports to pass the children off as their own.

Namratha has been previously involved in 15 criminal cases across Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur for cheating, surrogacy fraud, and child trafficking, some still under trial. She operated clinics in Secunderabad, Kondapur, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Bhubaneswar, and Kolkata.

“Childless couples were promised that the clinic would handle legal surrogacy. In reality, babies were procured from vulnerable mothers for Rs 3.5 lakh for a girl child and Rs 4.5 lakh for a boy child, while clients were charged up to Rs 40 lakh. Fake documents and DNA reports were prepared to conceal the fraud,” the DCP said.