Cash-for-Baby Scam: Hyderabad Fertility Centre lured tribal women for surrogacy, sold newborns

Hyderabad: Universal Shrushti Fertility Centre organizer A.Namratha and her staff are under scanner for illegally luring tribal women for surrogacy and selling newborn babies to childless couples.

Police suspect Namratha and her staff were involved in exploiting poverty and luring tribal women for surrogacy.

The case, which has shocked the Telugu states, is likely to be handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Hyderabad Central Crime Station (CCS) due to its expanding scale and inter-state ramifications.

Free camps used to target vulnerable women

Namratha, who ran the fertility centre without proper authorisation, is accused of organizing free medical camps in rural and tribal hamlets across Telangana to identify vulnerable women.

Through these camps, her team reportedly collected personal data of tribal women and offered them incentives to become surrogate mothers or, in some cases, coerced them into giving up their babies.

Police believe that Namratha maintained two sets of records, one listing couples seeking surrogacy and another documenting women from rural backgrounds recruited for surrogacy. The transactions were allegedly carried out in cash, with Namratha collecting large sums from the couples.

RMPs under scanner

Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) in rural districts are also suspected of assisting Namratha in her illegal activities. Some of these RMPs have already been identified and are likely to be summoned for questioning.

Police have seized bank accounts linked to Namratha and her staff and filed a fresh petition seeking an extension of her custody to probe further developments. Investigators say several new complaints have surfaced against her in recent days.

SIT likely to take over investigation

With the number of victims and accused increasing, and the case showing links to at least four to five states, senior police officials are considering transferring the investigation to an SIT under the supervision of the Hyderabad Police Commissioner, CV Anand.

Currently being handled by the Gopalapuram police, the probe has grown too large and complex for the local station, which is already burdened with routine law and order duties.

80 babies sold in two years

Preliminary police findings suggest that the racket may have trafficked at least 80 infants over the past two years alone, under the guise of surrogacy. Given that the fertility centre has reportedly been operational for nearly 15 years, police suspect that the actual number of trafficked infants could be in the hundreds.

One of the accused, identified as Santosh from Ellareddyguda, is believed to have facilitated the procurement of 18 babies from different regions. Police are also probing the involvement of multiple agents linked to the racket.

Doctors also implicated

So far, at least five medical professionals are believed to have played a role in the illegal operations. The police are working to verify their involvement and may take legal action against them based on the findings.

The disturbing case has exposed a dark network of exploitation operating under the cover of fertility and surrogacy services, prompting calls for tighter regulation and oversight of private fertility clinics, the police said.