Telangana police transfer high-profile surrogacy scam case to SIT
The surrogacy and child trafficking scam linked to Universal Srushti Fertility Centers has shaken Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, leading to the transfer of investigations to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the Crime Branch. Over 25 individuals, including the clinic owner Dr. A Namratha, have been arrested for running an elaborate racket in the region.
Hyderabad: Considering the gravity of the surrogacy scam and human trafficking incidents cases related to Universal Srushti Fertility Centers which caused tremors across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the case will now be transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the Crime Branch for further investigation.
North Zone DCP S Rashmi Perumal said, “With orders from the Hyderabad Police Commissioner, these cases will be transferred to the SIT for a further thorough and detailed investigation.”
The 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.
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.
