Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached 50 immovable properties worth Rs 29.76 crore in connection with the alleged illegal surrogacy racket at the Universal Srushti Fertility and Research Centre in Hyderabad.
The properties, including several flats, land and the fertility clinic, were attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). They belong to the prime accused, Dr Namratha and her son. The current market value is estimated at around Rs 50 crore.
Dr Namratha headed the clinic with her son, Pachipala Jayanth Krishna. The case gained prominence after a couple came forward alleging their 1.5-month-old baby boy failed the independent DNA test and was not conceived through surrogacy.
The Gopalapuram Police conducted a search operation at the clinic and found several discrepancies.
Universal Srushti Fertility and Research Centre collected between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 35 lakh from childless couples, promising a baby using their own biological embryos. However, investigations revealed the clinic allegedly purchased newborns from poor women or those who sought abortions. Police also found forged birth certificates and fabricated DNA reports.
The ED had recently secured a two-day custody of Dr Namratha, arrested last year.
During the course of interrogation, it was revealed that she worked with a network of agents and sub-agents who arranged and lured poor and needy pregnant women with money and convinced them to give up their child soon after delivery.
The women were offered around Rs 3.5 lakh for a female child and Rs 4.5 lakh for a male child.
The deliveries were conducted at her hospital in Visakhapatnam, after the license of her Secunderabad hospital was revoked.
Further investigation revealed that birth reports submitted to municipal authorities were allegedly forged to reflect the names of childless couples as parents instead of the biological parents.
The ED said Dr Namratha had been running the racket since 2014 and continued the fake surrogacy operations even after multiple cases were registered against her and her medical licence was suspended.
Her bank accounts were analysed, confirming the modus operandi wherein the funds collected from the childless couples were utilised for making payments to the agents and sub-agents, and to the biological parents.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Veena Nair | 
