Srushti surrogacy racket: DNA test reveals baby not biological child of foreign couple

Hyderabad: International ramifications have been found in the investigation into the alleged illegal surrogacy racket run by Dr Pachipalli Namratha alias Athluri Namratha in the name of Universal Srushti Fertility and Research Centre.

A foreign passport-holding couple discovered that the child delivered through her clinic was not their biological child when the child’s foreign passport was denied after a DNA test. Such instances and more were found in the documents seized by the investigating officers in the probe so far.

ED searches nine locations in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Vizag

The probe into the case so far has culminated in searches conducted by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Hyderabad Zonal Office, at nine locations in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam on September 25, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The searches resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents related to the racket, including the details of couples defrauded by Dr Namratha and properties in her possession. The seized material also includes documents of properties acquired by her out of Proceeds of Crime (PoC).

ED initiated an investigation based on multiple FIRs registered by the Gopalapuram Police Station, Hyderabad, for fraud, cheating, criminal conspiracy, illegal surrogacy and child trafficking.

Dr Namratha was pushing childless couples to opt for surrogacy instead of IVF

The probe revealed that Dr Namratha was providing childless couples with children based on a surrogacy racket that she had orchestrated through her clinic, along with her employees and agents.

Childless couples were encouraged to opt for the surrogacy method instead of IVF.

How Dr Namratha cheated couples in the name of surrogacy

In the initial complaint lodged with the police, it was revealed that the couple who had opted for a child through the surrogacy method were promised a child through their own egg and sperm to form embryos, which would be screened and implanted into a surrogate mother arranged by the clinic.

They were further assured that all documentation would be handled by the clinic and a healthy child would be delivered to the couple after DNA confirmation.

For this purpose, Dr Namratha quoted an amount of Rs 30 lakh, of which Rs 15 lakh was paid by cheque and Rs 15 lakh in cash, which was claimed to be paid to the surrogate.

Subsequently, a male child was handed over to the couple.

However, DNA verification confirmed that the child was not their biological child. Agents were also found to be involved in the racket by arranging poor, vulnerable and pregnant women and luring them with money to give up their child as soon as the child was born.

‘Surrogates’ were mothers who were lured to give up their children

ED investigation revealed that several couples were cheated in the aforesaid manner by Dr Namratha and huge amounts were collected from them by way of cheque and cash. Part of the amount was paid to the surrogates/women who gave up their children and the agents who facilitated the process got their commission. The majority of the proceeds of crime were kept by Dr Namratha, which was used by her for personal purposes, including the acquisition of properties.

Searches conducted by the ED resulted in the seizure of documents, which revealed that she was offering such services to couples across India in different centres in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Nellore, Kolkata, etc.

In the illegal business for a decade

Seized documents also revealed that Dr Namratha was involved in these activities for more than 10 years. She created legal documents in the form of surrogacy agreements to project that the childless couples and carrier (surrogate) themselves approached her and she was just providing the surrogacy services.