Hyderabad baby-selling racket: Doctor accused of using another doctor's license to run clinic

Hyderabad: A major twist has come to light in the surrogacy fraud and baby-selling racket involving Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, as investigators revealed that the main accused, Dr Namratha, allegedly used the medical registration and license of a 94-year-old doctor, Dr Surya Sri, to run the clinic after the clinic's registration was cancelled in a previous similar case.

According to police, Dr Surya Sri was unaware that her credentials were being misused by the accused. In addition to this, Dr Namratha also allegedly misused the licenses of other doctors without their knowledge.

Also read- Hyderabad Surrogacy racket busted: Doctor, 7 others arrested in baby-selling scam

Medical Dialogues recently reported that Hyderabad police busted a large-scale illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket run by Dr A. Namratha, owner of a chain of fertility clinics across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Eight people, including Namratha and the biological parents of a baby, were arrested.

The racket came to light after a couple who paid Rs 35 lakh for surrogacy found through a DNA test that the baby they received wasn’t biologically theirs. Namratha allegedly misled couples, used vulnerable women for pregnancies, and sold newborns with forged documents. Clinics were sealed, and the investigation is ongoing.

Any clients who protested were intimidated and threatened by Namratha's son (an advocate by profession), who ran an office on the same premises and managed the financial transactions of his mother.

It has been reported that the Medical and Health Department had previously cancelled the registration of the involved fertility clinic, but the accused continued to operate from the building and put the name of another certified doctor on the official letterheads of the clinic.

As the investigation deepened, several couples who had undergone IVF and surrogacy treatments at the clinic came forward, alleging emotional and financial exploitation. They approached the police, accusing Namratha of misleading them as they claimed that she promised them guaranteed results through IVF and surrogacy treatments, but none yielded results, even despite paying large sums of money.

A senior official in this regard told Deccan Chronicle, "The initial complaint was about a couple being handed over a baby without any biological connection to the parents, using forged documents. The new complaints, however, are about not delivering promised results through IVF or surrogacy. In one case, a woman who was consulting Universal Srushti Fertility Centre for IVF paid Rs 10 lakhs. However, it did not yield any result."

“These are fresh complaints and not from families who may have unknowingly adopted children. These victims say they were emotionally manipulated and financially exploited," an official said. The officer also added that after legal consultation, a decision will be made on whether the new complaints will be registered as a separate case or included in the ongoing FIR.

Investigation also revealed that the financial transactions were mostly in the form of cash, while half the amount was through cheques. Teams are in the process of seizing these cheques, and the financials will be verified through the FSL.

Interestingly, many families who previously had successful treatments at the fertility centre and now have children through the procedure are avoiding involvement in the case. Police believe this could be due to fear, trauma, or the stigma attached to such procedures.

Meanwhile, the accused filed a bail petition questioning the Telangana Police’s authority to handle a case that took place in Visakhapatnam. However, officials say they have strong evidence, including case sheets and documents seized from the Visakhapatnam clinic. They have also sought her custody for further interrogation to uncover the full extent of the racket.

Also read- Illegal clinics run by Quacks busted in Telangana Medical Council Inspections