Hyderabad: Enforcement Directorate’s Hyderabad unit on Thursday arrested Dr Namratha, head of Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, in connection with a money laundering probe linked to an alleged illegal surrogacy and child trafficking racket.She was produced before the metropolitan sessions judge court at Nampally and remanded in judicial custody till Feb 26. ED officials informed the court that Dr Namratha was not cooperating with investigators probing the alleged proceeds of crime. She had been questioned for two days at the ED office in Basheerbagh, during which she denied all allegations. Investigators accused her of cheating childless couples by promising IVF and surrogacy services that were never genuinely performed. According to the probe, she collected huge sums — in some cases ₹30 lakh-₹40 lakh — under the pretext of fertility treatments. Instead of conducting legitimate procedures, the clinic allegedly supplied infants procured from vulnerable women and presented them as surrogate babies. These were allegedly backed by forged medical records and fabricated DNA reports. The racket came to light after a couple from Rajasthan conducted an independent DNA test and discovered that the child handed over to them after a supposed surrogacy process had no biological link to them. Further complaints from other families triggered multiple FIRs and widened the investigation across Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Son also arrestedDr Namratha was first arrested by Gopalapuram police in July last year along with others allegedly involved in the network. At that time, eight persons, including agents and technicians, were booked for fraudulent practices at the clinic. Based on these FIRs, the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in Oct 2025. Since then, the agency has traced the alleged flow of funds, properties and assets acquired through suspected illegal proceeds. So far, 24 persons, including Dr Namratha’s son P Jayanth Krishna and others linked to the racket, have been arrested.Officials said several properties allegedly purchased using crime proceeds have been identified, and attachment proceedings under the PMLA are expected soon. Modus operandi According to investigators, couples were lured with assurances of scientifically-supervised IVF and surrogacy after repeated consultations. They were charged hefty fees and told embryos had been created and implanted in surrogate mothers. However, the clinic allegedly bought babies from poor or vulnerable women, sometimes for as little as ₹90,000, and falsely documented them as children of the commissioning parents. Forged certificates and manipulated DNA reports were allegedly used to legitimise the deception, investigators alleged.
