Hyderabad IVF scam: Baby bought for Rs 90,000, sold for Rs 35 lakh, how hopeful parents were tricked by clinic running dirty racket for years

In a shocking case that has left Hyderabad stunned, police have uncovered a massive surrogacy and baby-selling racket operating under the cover of a fertility clinic. What began as a couple’s dream to have a child through IVF turned into a nightmare, revealing a web of fake documents, forged procedures, and the illegal sale of newborns.

In August 2024, a couple from Rajasthan approached the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre in Secunderabad for IVF treatment. But instead of a proper medical process, police say the clinic allegedly offered them a shortcut, surrogacy, and assured them the child would be biologically theirs.

The couple was charged Rs 35 lakh for the procedure.

Months later, in June 2025, they were told a surrogate had given birth to a baby boy via C-section in Visakhapatnam. They were then asked to pay another Rs 2 lakh for the delivery. The child was handed over along with forged documents stating he was their biological son.

When the couple demanded a DNA test, the clinic kept postponing and dodging the request. Finally, they ran an independent DNA test in Delhi, and the shocking truth was revealed: the child had no biological link to either parent.

Hyderabad police discovered that the baby was actually bought from a poor couple from Assam living in Hyderabad. The biological parents were paid just Rs 90,000. The mother was sent to Vizag for delivery, and the baby was then passed off as a surrogate child.

The key figure behind this racket is Dr Athaluri Namratha, 64, owner of the Srushti clinic. She was arrested on Sunday along with her son, a practising lawyer, and six others, including doctors, agents, and the infant’s biological parents.

According to police, the clinic’s licence had been cancelled in 2021. Yet it continued to operate illegally from branches in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam.

During raids, officials found pregnancy-related tools, IVF equipment, and even sex determination devices, all being used without proper authorisation or trained staff. Authorities fear this may only be the “tip of the iceberg,” and that many more couples may have been deceived.

Police say the clinic forged IVF records, created fake birth certificates, and charged lakhs in the name of surrogacy, while actually buying babies from poor families. Some clients were told their embryos had been transferred to a surrogate, but in reality, there was no biological connection at all.

Clients who raised doubts were allegedly blocked or intimidated. The clinic’s operations were protected by Dr Namratha’s son, who reportedly used his legal background to silence those who questioned the process.

This isn’t the first time Dr Namratha has come under the scanner. In 2016, her licence was suspended after an NRI couple complained that the baby given to them through “surrogacy” was not biologically related. In 2020, she was arrested again in Vizag for allegedly trafficking newborns.

More than 10 cases have already been registered against her and her clinics across Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Guntur.

“This is clearly a case of illegal commercial surrogacy, which is banned in India,” said DCP S Rashmi Perumal. “Only altruistic surrogacy is allowed under the law. This woman and her team exploited both desperate couples and poor mothers for profit.”

Authorities are now identifying other couples who visited the clinic to find out how many more were affected.

The main clinic in Secunderabad has been sealed and all medical equipment seized. Police are now investigating financial transactions, medical records, and communications to build a strong case.

Inputs from TOI