Overview

• Dr. Athaluri Namratha of Universal Srushti Fertility Centre was placed in five-day police custody starting August 1 for interrogation over her alleged role in a surrogacy fraud network.
• Investigators allege Namratha bought a newborn from an Assam couple and sold the infant to a Rajasthani couple under the pretense of IVF and surrogacy treatment.
• Independent DNA tests at a Delhi forensic lab confirmed the child is not biologically related to the recipient father, underscoring suspected document tampering.
• A case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, including charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery and child welfare violations.
• Several assistants and agents have been arrested, rescued infants are held at Shishu Vihar state care and forensic teams are examining AI-altered records and donor logs.