Surrogacy Fraudster Misused 94-Year-Old Doctor’s Medical License

Hyderabad: Following the surrogacy fraud and adoption racket at the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, several couples, who had undergone treatment at the clinic, approached the police alleging Namratha of manipulating and misleading them.

According to them, they were promised guaranteed results through IVF and surrogacy treatments, but none yielded results even despite paying large sums of money.

A senior official said, "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. With the illegal adoption in the guise of surrogacy unearthed, the victim approached the police complaining against Namratha.

“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.

According to the investigation, Namratha was using the medical registration and license of Dr Surya Sri. “The doctor is aged 94 and she was unaware that her credentials were being misused. In a similar manner, she also misused other doctors licenses too and the probe will reveal further details.” the official confirmed. Additionally, the registration process of birth certificates issued to children at the clinic is also under radar.

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

Officials noted that many couples who underwent successful treatments in the past and currently have children through Srushti Centre's procedures are staying away from the investigation. “The case is wide open and is circulated all through the platforms but these families are not coming forward possibly because of fear, trauma, or the social stigma still attached to such procedures," the officer said.

Namratha filed a bail petition questioning jurisdictional competence of the Telangana police to act on an offence occurred in Visakhapatnam. However, a source said that the teams are containing all the evidence, like the case sheet related to the complainant which was procured during the raid in the clinic in Visakhapatnam. The police also applied for custody of the accused doctor to dig deeper into the illegal racket.