The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations at nine locations in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam on Thursday in connection with the Srushti Fertility Centre scam linked to Pachipalli Namratha alias Athluri Namratha.
The searches led to the seizure of incriminating documents, including details of her properties, according to ED media release.
The investigation stems from multiple FIRs filed by Gopalapuram police in Hyderabad, accusing Dr Namratha of fraud, cheating, conspiracy, child trafficking and running an unauthorised surrogacy operation.
Officials said she lured childless couples into surrogacy, instead of IVF, promising them a child born using their own embryos implanted in surrogate mothers. Couples were charged around ₹30 lakh, of which ₹15 lakh was paid by cheque and ₹15 lakh was to be paid in cash to purported surrogates. However, in several cases, DNA tests later confirmed that the children handed over were not biologically related to the couples.
The ED investigation revealed that poor and vulnerable women were recruited by agents, offered money, and persuaded to give up their new-borns. While surrogates and agents received small sums, the bulk of the proceeds was allegedly retained by Dr. Namratha, who used the money to acquire properties and fund her personal expenses.
Documents seized during the raids indicated that she had been running the operation for over a decade, using fabricated surrogacy agreements to legitimise the transactions.
The racket extended beyond Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to other cities, including Nellore and Kolkata.
In one case, foreign parents reportedly discovered the deception when a DNA test revealed that the child provided to them was not their biological offspring, resulting in the denial of a passport.
Further investigation is under way.
Published – September 26, 2025 07:50 pm IST
