A shocking case of a fake surrogacy racket has come to light in Hyderabad after DNA tests revealed no genetic link between a couple and the baby they believed was born through IVF. The revelation led police to uncover a scheme involving a fertility clinic in Secunderabad.
According to investigators, the baby was allegedly procured from a poor family and handed over to the unsuspecting couple who had sought IVF treatment in 2024. The couple was charged Rs 35 lakh for the procedure, under the assurance that the child would be biologically theirs.
The fertility clinic, Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, had allegedly devised a detailed plan to carry out the fraud. On July 27, Hyderabad police arrested eight individuals, including the prime accused, Dr Athaluri Namratha (64), who runs the clinic, and Dr Nargula Sadanandam (41), an anaesthetist from the state-run Gandhi Hospital. Several agents and technicians linked to the operation were also detained.
All eight accused in the fake surrogacy case have been booked for cheating clients and running an illegal baby-selling racket under the guise of fertility treatments. Investigations revealed that the main accused, Dr Namratha, had been operating her clinic illegally since 2021, despite her medical licence being cancelled. She was found to be running additional centres in Kondapur (Hyderabad), Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam, all of which were raided by police on July 27.
In a shocking twist, Dr Namratha had previously come under scrutiny in two separate cases. In 2016, her license was suspended for five years by the Telangana Medical Council after an NRI couple from the US alleged that the baby they received through her clinic was not biologically theirs. Again in 2020, she was arrested by Vizag police, along with five others, for allegedly trafficking newborns.
Police further revealed that over 10 cases had been registered against Dr Namratha and her clinic across Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, and Guntur, indicating a long-running pattern of illegal activities under the cover of fertility treatments.
How the racket was exposed
The case came to light on July 26 when a Hyderabad-based couple approached the Gopalapuram police, alleging that the baby given to them by Srushti Test Tube Baby Centre was not biologically related to the father. The couple had undergone what they believed was a legitimate commercial surrogacy process and had paid Rs 35 lakh for the procedure.
During the investigation, police found no evidence of an actual surrogacy treatment being conducted. Instead, they discovered that Dr Namratha and her team were illegally sourcing infants from poor pregnant women, luring them with money and then selling the babies to unsuspecting couples under the guise of IVF or surrogacy.
Further probing revealed that the biological parents of the baby—residents of Hyderabad—had been paid Rs 90,000. The woman was sent to Visakhapatnam for delivery, after which the baby was handed over to the couple. Both biological parents have since been arrested.
Two-day-old baby sold as ‘Surrogate’ child; 7 accused sent to judicial custody
The baby boy was only two days old when he was handed over to the complainant couple under the false assurance that he was their biological child through surrogacy.
Among those arrested are Dr Namratha’s son, P. Jayanth Krishna (25), a practising advocate who managed her finances; clinic staff members C. Kalyani Atchayyamma (40) and G. Chenna Rao (37); and an agent, Dhanasri Santoshi (38). The baby’s biological parents have been identified as Mohammed Ali Adik (38) and Nasreen Begum (25), both residents of Hyderabad.
Timeline and legal action
Seven of the accused have been remanded to Chanchalguda jail for 14 days. C. Kalyani, a staff member from the Visakhapatnam branch, is being transported to Hyderabad for further investigation.
According to the DCP, the accused were not only involved in illegal baby selling but also engaged in commercial surrogacy, which is banned in India. Under current law, only altruistic surrogacy — without financial compensation — is permitted.
Rajasthan couple duped by Hyderabad clinic, DNA test exposes racket
Senior police officials revealed that the complainants, a couple from Rajasthan, first approached Universal Srushti Fertility Centre in Secunderabad in August 2024 for an IVF consultation. During their visit, Dr Namratha conducted fertility tests and advised them to opt for surrogacy. The couple was then referred to the clinic’s Visakhapatnam branch, where they were promised a surrogate mother and assured that their embryo would be implanted.
Over the following nine months, the couple made multiple payments for consultations, medical procedures, and surrogate care. The clinic regularly updated them, claiming that the pregnancy was progressing normally.
In June 2025, the couple was informed that a baby boy had been delivered via C-section in Visakhapatnam. Before handing over the child, the clinic demanded an additional Rs 2 lakh, allegedly citing a demand from the biological father. Upon arrival, the baby was handed over along with forged documents, including a fake birth certificate falsely listing the couple as the biological parents.
The couple began to suspect foul play when they noticed that no DNA test had been performed prior to the registration. Despite repeated assurances from the clinic, their doubts led them to independently conduct a DNA test at a forensic lab in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. The results confirmed that neither parent had any biological link to the child. When the couple confronted the clinic, Dr Namratha blocked their communication and later issued threats, refusing to hand over any further documentation. With no recourse, the couple filed a formal complaint with the Gopalapuram police last week.
“Dr Namratha, with clear intent to deceive, never allowed the couple to meet the surrogate mother, whom they believed was carrying their child,” said the DCP.
Following the complaint, police and health department officials raided the Gopalapuram branch of the fertility centre. During the inspection, authorities found unlicensed medical equipment, stored live embryos, and evidence of unauthorised IVF procedures, confirming illegal medical operations.
Police believe further questioning of the arrested individuals will uncover how the clinic sourced women for illegal surrogacy treatments and whether more such cases exist.
Meanwhile, the State Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports highlighting the alleged unethical and illegal surrogacy practices at Universal Srushti Fertility Centre and its associated branches in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam.
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