Fertility Clinic Faked Surrogacy, Handed Over Bought Baby
The investigation revealed that the fertility center was illegally collecting and transporting sperm and eggs to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, in collaboration with a firm named Indian Sperm Tech
Hyderabad: The “surrogacy” case involving the city-based Universal Srushti Fertility Centre took a shocking turn on Sunday, with the police investigation revealing that the baby boy handed over to the complainant couple was not born through commercial surrogacy, but was bought from another couple and handed over to them.
A Rajasthani couple living in the city for the last four years lodged a complaint with the Gopalapuram police on Saturday against the fertility centre after a DNA test proved that the child was not biologically related to the father.
“The prime accused and fertility centre owner, P. Namratha, made the couple believe that the child would be born through surrogacy and collected Rs 30 lakh. But she purchased a baby boy from an Assamese couple for Rs 90,000 and handed him over to the complainants,” said North Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Reshmi Perumal.
Police arrested eight accused, including Namratha, her son, and advocate Jayanth Krishna, on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and violations under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act. Two more accused are at large.
The police have also been investigating whether a similar modus operandi was adopted by the accused in previous “surrogacy” births at the Centre. The baby, who has been diagnosed with a chronic disease, has been handed over to Sishu Vihar.
According to the DCP, the complainant approached Namratha in 2024 after his wife suffered two miscarriages. The accused ruled out IVF and instead promised a baby through surrogacy. To make it appear as a case of genuine surrogacy, the accused collected semen from the complainant at one of their branches in Visakhapatnam.
The couple were even shown a woman whom the accused introduced as the surrogate mother. In June 2025, the couple were again taken to Visakhapatnam and handed a male child, claiming that the baby had been delivered through a caesarean section.
The DCP said the prime accused, Athaluri Namratha alias Pachipala Namratha, 64, is the owner of the fertility centre, which has been operating from four branches in Secunderabad, Kondapur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam. Earlier, medical authorities had cancelled her Hyderabad centre’s licence when a raid resulted in the confiscation of sex determination equipment.
Namratha began her medical practice in 1995 and started offering fertility and IVF services from 1998. “She is also using the certification of one Surya Sri, who is also under the radar,” the DCP said.
The accused include her son, who, the police said, used to intimidate couples when discrepancies arose and threaten them against taking legal action. Other accused are Kalyani Atchayamma, 40, manager; G. Chenna Rao, 37, lab technician and embryologist; N. Sadanandam, 41, an anaesthesiologist at Gandhi Hospital and an associate; and D. Santoshi, who helped identify the surrogate couple in Hyderabad. The biological parents of the two-month-old boy, Ali Adik, 38, and Nasreen Begum, 25, from Assam, are also booked and remanded.
A case has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and violations under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act. The DCP cautioned the public to stay vigilant and avoid falling victim to fraudulent fertility services. Commercial surrogacy is banned under Indian laws, and clinics that promise such treatments must be reported.
