Hyderabad IVF Clinic Bought a Baby for Rs 90,000; Sold it for Rs 35 Lakh as IVF Baby

In a shocking development exposing the dark side of fertility clinics, Hyderabad Police have busted a major surrogacy and baby-selling racket operating out of the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre in Secunderabad. The police revealed how a baby was allegedly purchased from a poor couple for just Rs 90,000 and later sold to an unsuspecting Rajasthan couple for a staggering Rs 35 lakh, all under the pretext of a legitimate IVF procedure.

According to official statements, the Rajasthan-based couple had approached the clinic in August 2024, hoping to realise their dream of parenthood through IVF. But instead of the standard medical process, the clinic’s operators—led by Dr Athaluri Namratha, aged 64—convinced the couple that surrogacy would be quicker and guaranteed that the child would be their own biological offspring. “They declared it would be our blood—our own baby,” one of the duped parents told police officials.

Trusting the clinic, the couple paid the hefty fee of Rs 35 lakh for the surrogacy arrangement. Months later, in June 2025, they were called to Visakhapatnam and told their surrogate had delivered a baby boy via C section. The clinic demanded an extra Rs 2 lakh for delivery expenses before handing over the infant, backed by forged documents attesting to the child’s supposed biological connection to the couple.

However, suspicion arose when the couple noticed discrepancies in the baby’s appearance and medical papers, prompting them to get a DNA test. The results revealed that the child was not biologically related to them, shattering their hopes. “The DNA tests did not match. It was a nightmare,” the couple said while giving their statement to the police.

Police investigations uncovered that the baby was actually born to a woman from Assam, living in Hyderabad. She and her husband, struggling financially, had agreed to the arrangement for Rs 90,000. The mother was sent to Vizag for delivery, and her newborn was passed off as the surrogate child. Officers described how the clinic targeted vulnerable women—many reportedly seeking abortions—and persuaded them to continue with their pregnancies, only to take away the babies for such schemes.

Dr Namratha, the clinic owner, was running the centre illegally, as its medical licence had already been cancelled in 2021. She was also operating branches in Kondapur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam. The police raid on all branches led to the arrest of Dr Namratha, her son, an anaesthetist from the state-run Gandhi Hospital, lab technicians, agents, and the biological mother. In total, eight people were apprehended for cheating, forgery, and human trafficking.

Deputy Commissioner of Police S Rashmi Perumal stated, “The accused misled hopeful parents into believing the babies were their own biological children, using fake documents and forged medical records. Many of these couples were emotionally and economically exploited.” Police officials called this “a racket operating for years, betraying the trust of hundreds of families.”

This case has triggered shockwaves across the city and country, raising alarm over the loopholes in the regulation of fertility clinics and surrogacy services. The authorities are currently reviewing files and records from the raided clinics to identify other possible victims and illegal adoptions.

The investigation continues, and legal experts say more arrests are likely as the magnitude of the scam unfolds. The case stands as a serious warning to childless couples seeking IVF services, reminding them to thoroughly verify the credentials of any clinic and consult official channels. As the Deputy Commissioner succinctly put it, “Trust, when broken in the most sensitive matters of life like childbirth, causes wounds that are not easily healed”.

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