SIT Takes Over Fertility Centre Probe

Hyderabad: A three-month-old infant has been shifted to Sishu Vihar as part of the investigation into the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre case. Officials confirmed the development but withheld details of the child’s biological parents, citing the need to protect their anonymity.

This move comes just before the case was formally handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT will now take charge of the probe, including custodial interrogations, arrests and follow-up investigations. Investigators are expected to scrutinise the clinic’s financial transactions, the role of intermediaries and the scale of the alleged child procurement racket.

“The SIT will now pursue the wider angle of the case. Any fresh arrests or custodial interrogations will be carried out under SIT supervision,” a senior officer said.

During the preliminary probe by Gopalapuram police, one Sanjay — listed as A7 — was identified as a key suspect still absconding. Sanjay, the husband of the arrested accused Nandini, allegedly acted as an agent connecting with the biological parents. Police said the couple targeted vulnerable women, including those from poor backgrounds or involved in illicit relationships, and facilitated the illegal transfer of children to prospective adoptive couples. Nandini was apprehended during recent operations, while Sanjay remains at large.

Earlier reports suggested that 80 couples might have procured children through processes linked to the clinic and that those children could be shifted to Sishu Vihar. Officials have denied this, clarifying that 80 documents were seized from the hospital premises, but that figure should not be read as a list of adoptive parents.

“We are not initiating any hunt for parents or planning to take children away from families. Doing so would only create a humanitarian crisis,” an officer asserted.

So far, about 25 accused have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Complainants alleged that Dr Namratha and her associates lured couples with promises of children, collected large sums of money and later deceived them. A source added that families who obtained children through the fertility centre are reluctant to come forward because of the social stigma attached to the issue.