Gopalapuram Police bust fake surrogacy, child trafficking racket; 25 arrested

Hyderabad: Gopalapuram Police on Tuesday dismantled a fake surrogacy racket tied to illegal child trafficking. They arrested 25 people connected to Universal Srushti Fertility Centres in Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam. Eight new cases were filed against clinic owner Dr. Athaluri Namrata and her team for running what police called a criminal syndicate disguised as fertility services.

Multiple victims and wide network

The first FIR, registered on July 27, accused Namrata of cheating a couple with false surrogacy promises. As more victims came forward, police uncovered cases of fraud, medical deception, and trafficking. Those arrested include doctors, lab technicians, managers, agents, and birth parents involved in procuring and selling babies.

Victims paid between ₹11 lakh and ₹22 lakh for surrogacy or IVF. In several cases, unrelated babies were handed over with fake DNA and medical reports. Agents sourced babies from vulnerable mothers, paying ₹3.5 lakh for girls and ₹4.5 lakh for boys, and charging clients up to ₹40 lakh.

Cities across India involved

Namrata’s network operated in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Bhubaneswar, and Kolkata. She promised clients that her clinic would handle all legal surrogacy formalities, then procured newborns illegally and claimed they were the clients’ biological children.

Criminal charges and investigation transfer

The accused face charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, and the Juvenile Justice Act. Many have previous cases in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for child trafficking, cheating, and medical fraud.

North Zone police teams, led by Detective Inspector B.V. Kausheek, coordinated with multiple stations to track the suspects. The Hyderabad Police Commissioner transferred the probe to the CCS SIT, citing the scale of the crimes.

Police urged the public to report any fertility or surrogacy service offering commercial arrangements, which are banned in India. Victims of similar scams were asked to approach the nearest police station.