Hyderabad: A Nampally court, on Friday, August 1, granted five-day police custody of Dr Namrata, accused of running an illegal surrogacy and sperm racket in Hyderabad.
Dr Namrata ran Shrushti Fertility Centre in Secunderabad, along with her son, Pachipala Jayanth Krishna. Both have been named prime accused in running an illegal surrogacy racket.
On July 26, the Gopalapuram police raided the center after a Rajasthani couple lodged a complaint stating that the baby they received through surrogacy from Shrishti Fertility Center was not biologically related to them.
They had visited the Vizag clinic branch. However, the couple grew suspicious and conducted a DNA test, which revealed that it was not their biological child. When the couple requested documents from Dr Namrata, she refused, leaving them to approach the police.
Police conducted late-night raids at the fertility center, seized documents and found 17 sperm donors and 11 egg donors.
They also observed unregistered ultrasound equipment, an operating theatre, laparoscopic and IVF devices, unlicensed drugs, and liquid nitrogen cylinders on the premises.
During questioning, staff revealed they had been illegally collecting and transporting sperm and eggs to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with a firm named Indian Sperm Tech near Secunderabad East Metro Station.
Officials confirmed the clinic was not registered in the National or State ART & Surrogacy Registry, and its activities thus became illegal under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021. The fertility center was sealed and a case was registered.
The doctor and her son, along with six more individuals – Sampath, Srinu, Jitender, Shiva, Manikantha, and Boro – were arrested.
As of today, 381 facilities, including two government medical college hospitals, are legally approved in Telangana under the ART & Surrogacy Act. Information can be viewed on the portal.
