ED Cracks Down on Illegal Surrogacy Racket in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
Hyderabad,26, September,2025-The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Hyderabad Zonal Office, carried out search operations on September 25, 2025, at nine locations across Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The raids were conducted in connection with an illegal surrogacy racket allegedly run by Dr. Pachipalli Namratha, also known as Athluri Namratha, under the name Universal Srusthi Fertility & Research Centre. During the searches, officials seized incriminating documents, including records of defrauded couples and details of properties linked to Dr. Namratha.
The Enforcement Directorate initiated a probe pursuant to multiple FIRs registered at Gopalapuram Police Station, Hyderabad, concerning allegations of fraud, cheating, criminal conspiracy, illegal surrogacy, and child trafficking. It has been revealed that Dr. Pachipalli Namratha, also known as Athluri Namratha, operating under the banner of Universal Srusthi Fertility & Research Centre, orchestrated a surrogacy racket wherein childless couples were induced to procure children through surrogacy instead of conventional IVF procedures. The initial complaint disclosed that the couples were assured of obtaining a child conceived from their own genetic material—using their eggs and sperm—with the resulting embryos screened and implanted into a surrogate mother arranged by the clinic. Further assurances were given that the clinic would manage all requisite documentation and that the child delivered would be healthy and biologically theirs, verified through DNA testing. Dr. Namratha demanded a sum of Rs. 30 Lakhs for these services, Rs. 15 Lakhs of which was paid by cheque and the remaining Rs. 15 Lakhs in cash, purportedly paid to the surrogate. Although a male child was handed over, subsequent DNA verification established that the child was not biologically related to the commissioning couple. The investigation also uncovered the complicity of agents involved in procuring economically vulnerable and pregnant women, who were lured with monetary inducements to relinquish their newborn children immediately after birth.
ED investigation revealed that several couples were cheated in the aforesaid manner by Dr. Namratha and huge amounts were collected from them by way of cheque and cash. Part of the amount was paid to the surrogates’ women who gave up their children and the agents who facilitated the process got their commission. Majority of the proceeds of crime were kept by Dr. Namratha which was used by her for personal purposes including acquisition of properties. Searches conducted by the ED resulted in the seizure of documents which revealed that she was offering such services to couples across India in different centers in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Nellore, Kolkata, etc. Seized documents also revealed that Dr. Namratha was involved in these activities for more than 10 years. She created legal documents in the form of surrogacy agreements to project that the childless couples and carrier (surrogate) themselves approached her and she was just providing the surrogacy services. Seized documents also revealed that in one instance, foreign passport holding parents discovered that the child delivered through her clinic was not their biological child when the child’s foreign passport was denied after DNA test confirmed that the child was not their biological child. Seized material also includes documents of properties acquired by her out of Proceeds of Crime. Further investigation is under progress.
