Two Infants Rescued From Srishti Fertility Centre IVF Scam Await Adoption in Hyderabad
Two infants rescued during a July 2025 police raid on the Srishti Fertility Centre in Hyderabad remain under state care at Sishu Vihar as authorities work to clear them for permanent adoption. The children were recovered after Telangana police busted an inter-state surrogacy-linked child trafficking racket where childless couples were defrauded of lakhs of rupees and handed unrelated babies.
The fraud came to light when couples who believed they had undergone legitimate surrogacy procedures grew suspicious and conducted DNA tests. According to the police, the clinic's owner, Dr. Athaluri Namratha, and her associates allegedly passed off babies born from unwanted pregnancies as the biological children of these couples. The clinic charged victims between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 40 lakh per child.
Shruti Ojha, director of the women and child welfare department, stated that the two rescued infants are now almost a year old. "We have completed all official procedures for one child and have listed the baby for adoption," Ojha said. She added that approvals are still pending for the second child to be declared legally free for adoption. Once adoptive parents are selected, the finalisation process can take between three months and a year.
The investigation revealed that Dr. Namratha targeted couples who had experienced multiple failed fertility treatments, luring them with promises of a "90% success rate."
Central Crime Station DCP Chaitanya Kumar explained that the clinic provided couples with false pregnancy updates, radiology reports, and medical records to simulate a real surrogacy process. Meanwhile, agents were used to find women with unwanted pregnancies to source the babies.
The scam began to unravel when a couple from Rajasthan noticed their baby did not resemble them, which was confirmed by a DNA test. In another case, a biologist mother questioned how her child had a B+ blood group when both she and her husband were O+.
Investigating officer Vijay Sardhi and police officials confirmed that 25 people have been arrested and remain in judicial custody. Six additional couples have since approached the police, claiming they made partial payments of over Rs 10 lakh to the clinic. The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating the financial fraud.
