SIT Registers Case Against Fertility Fraud

According to officials, six special teams conducted simultaneous searches at Secunderabad, Kondapur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam. It may be recalled that two infants were earlier handed over by the accused to Child Welfare Committee (CWC) officials at Sishuvihar.

The case, originally registered at the Gopalapuram police station in July, came to light after a victim alleged that Dr Namratha misled them by declaring them fit for IVF treatment but pushed them towards surrogacy. She reportedly collected between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 40 lakh from each couple, assuring legal support and surrogate arrangements. Victims were sent to Visakhapatnam for sample collection, after which fabricated scan reports were shown, falsely claiming embryo formation.

Based on multiple complaints, nine cases were registered by Gopalapuram police, leading to the arrest of 25 persons and the seizure of 97 incriminating items during searches at Universal Srushti Fertility Centre (Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam), Lotus Hospital, and other premises.

All nine cases have now been re-registered under the Hyderabad CCS SIT. Fresh searches on Friday resulted in the seizure of vital confidential documents, digital data, and other incriminating material.

The case has been registered against the owner, Athaluri Namratha, counsellor Bathina Archana, anaesthesiologist Nargula Sadanandam, and her assistants Gollamandala Chenna Rao and Gollamandala Sureka. Officials said the seized records and digital evidence will be crucial in tracing the financial transactions and network of agents involved in the racket. Further investigation is underway.