Surrogacy fraud: Universal Srushti Fertility Hospital booked for cheating couple

Hyderabad: The KPHB police registered a case against Universal Srushti Fertility Hospital and its management on 2 September for allegedly cheating a couple under the pretext of surrogacy.

According to the KPHB police, P.V Sathyanarayana and his wife Sulaxna Rani, from Bhadradri Kothagudem district, were married for 18 years but had no children. In 2019, the couple approached the Universal Srushti Fertility Hospital at KPHB run by doctors Namratha, Rani, and Thirumala. After a few tests, Dr. Rani suggested they opt for surrogacy. The doctor told them that the entire procedure would be done at their Visakhapatnam branch and assured them that the baby would be handed over to them.

Accordingly, the couple transferred Rs. 13 lakh on various occasions to Dr. Namratha's account. Later, Dr. Thirumala informed them that the surrogacy procedure had started at their Visakhapatnam branch and the surrogate mother's health was good. They also gave an estimated delivery date - between 2 and 17 June. The doctors also informed the couple that they could go to Vishakhapatnam after the surrogate mother delivered the baby. However, the couple did not hear from the hospital even after the estimated delivery dates.

On 5 July, they received a call from the hospital informing them that unfortunately the surrogate mother had contracted COVID-19 and died. They told the couple that they would start the process again and the child would be handed to them. But a few days later, the couple got to know that Dr. Namratha and Dr. Thirumala were arrested in a child trafficking case and realised that they had been cheated.

The couple lodged a complaint at the Kothagudem police station and a zero FIR was lodged and transferred to KPHB under whose jurisdiction the hospital falls.