Woman doctor arrested at Hyderabad airport in connection with illegal surrogacy racket

A woman doctor was taken into custody at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Monday, August 4, in connection with a major illegal surrogacy and child-selling racket allegedly run under the guise of fertility treatment in Hyderabad.

Police confirmed that the arrest was made following sustained surveillance. “We had been tracking the accused’s movements for a while. She was arrested at the airport and will be questioned to establish her role in the racket,” said a senior official from the North Zone, without revealing the identity of the doctor.

She is the eleventh person to be arrested in the case, which centres around Universal Srushti Fertility Centres, operating in both Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. Earlier, ten others, including 64-year-old Athaluri Namratha, also known as Pachipala Namratha, the prime accused and owner of the fertility centres, were arrested.

The racket came to light after the Gopalapuram police station received a complaint from a couple who had approached the clinic in August 2024 seeking IVF assistance, citing serious irregularities in the procedure.

Subsequent raids on the Gopalapuram and Visakhapatnam branches revealed a trove of incriminating material, including medical equipment, surrogacy records, forged documents, and digital devices. Police stated that the clinics were operating without valid licences, and were conducting procedures involving embryo creation and implantation in violation of national medical and ethical guidelines.

The investigation is ongoing, with further arrests likely as police continue to trace individuals connected to the network.