Hyderabad: In a key development in the Secunderabad fertility scam, a local court on Thursday granted five-day police custody of Dr Athaluri Namrata, owner of Universal Shrishti Fertility Center, in connection with illegal surrogacy and child sale operations. Gopalapuram police had earlier arrested Namrata, her son Jayant Krishna, and others linked to the case.
Police told the court that records seized from the clinic contained identities of individuals who had sought IVF and surrogacy services. They sought a week-long custody to extract further details about the financial and procedural irregularities. The court granted five days.
The case came to light after a couple from Rajasthan, Sonia and Govind Singh files a police complaint, who approached the clinic in August 2023 seeking IVF treatment. Dr. Namrata allegedly persuaded them to opt for surrogacy instead, claiming IVF wouldn’t work, and demanded ₹30 lakh half paid in cash, the rest by cheque. The payments were made in installments, beginning with ₹5 lakh in August and concluding by May 2024.
Following the delivery, the couple requested a DNA test as per their agreement. Dr Namrata allegedly declined. The couple then conducted an independent test in Delhi, which confirmed the baby was not biologically related to them. They filed a police complaint, prompting the investigation.
Officials now believe Namrata operated a wider racket, using a network of agents to identify financially distressed or unwilling mothers often those considering abortion and convincing them to carry pregnancies in exchange for money. The children were then handed over under false surrogacy claims.
Multiple charges under the IPC related to human trafficking, cheating, and criminal conspiracy have been filed. Investigators expect further disclosures during custodial interrogation.
