Published Nov 10, 2026 | 10:17 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 10, 2026 | 10:17 PM
Show-cause notices have been issued to the managements of the seven hospitals where violations were detected.
Synopsis: Telangana’s probe into an alleged interstate egg donation racket has widened, with inspections covering 27 of 44 identified ART facilities and 13 regulatory violations detected in seven hospitals. The investigation follows police raids that rescued 43 women allegedly recruited from several states and named five fertility centres for verification.
The Telangana Health Department has detected 13 regulatory violations across seven hospitals following inspections of 27 of the 44 identified Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) facilities in the state amid an ongoing investigation into an alleged illegal egg donation racket.
Task force teams have been conducting inspections for the past four days, and the exercise is continuing. Show-cause notices have been issued to the managements of the seven hospitals where violations were detected.
Health, Medical and Family Welfare Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha has directed officials to conduct a comprehensive investigation into alleged illegal activities under the guise of oocyte (egg) collection and take stringent action against institutions and individuals found violating regulations.
“Women identified in connection with the case and the roles of doctors, IVF centres and intermediaries are being investigated,” the Health Department said in a statement on Tuesday, 10 November.
Officials will initiate further action after examining records seized by the police and information obtained from the National ART and Surrogacy Registry. As part of the investigation, Health Department officials visited the registry in New Delhi on 6 November and sought data submitted by registered ART clinics and banks operating in Telangana.
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Earlier, on 6 November, Rajanarasimha directed officials to take stringent action against private IVF centres found to be involved in illegal oocyte procurement activities.
“Permanent cancellation of registration for centres involved in illegal activities” and “steps to revoke the medical licences of responsible practitioners” were among the measures directed by the minister, according to the Health Department’s statement.
The minister also directed officials to examine the possibility of permanently shutting down private IVF centres found to have links with gangs involved in illegal egg procurement.
He instructed the department to consult the Telangana State Medical Council and the National Medical Commission regarding action against doctors found complicit in such activities.
During a review meeting with senior Health Department officials at the Telangana Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TGMSIDC) office in Koti, the minister called for a comprehensive investigation into individuals and organisations allegedly involved in the racket.
He also directed officials to extend full cooperation to the police investigation.
The Minister directed Principal Secretary of Health Christina Z Chongthu to constitute an expert committee to study the implementation of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021.
The committee will examine regulatory practices adopted by other states and explore additional measures and guidelines that could be introduced at the state level within the framework of existing central laws.
The Health Department has reiterated that oocyte collection must comply with the provisions of the ART Act and its associated rules. All ART clinics and ART banks operating in Telangana must obtain mandatory statutory registration and comply with prescribed regulations.
The department has also cautioned women against misleading assurances and financial inducements offered by intermediaries, warning that these could expose them to unauthorised medical procedures.
“Members of the public are urged to report any suspected illegal activities of this nature to the concerned District Medical and Health Officer,” the department said.
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The Minister has also directed Drug Control Authority officials to maintain strict oversight of medicines used in IVF treatments, covering the entire process from manufacturing to sale.
He called for a monitoring system to ensure that fertility treatment services are provided transparently and in accordance with regulations, while preventing the exploitation of couples seeking IVF services.
Rajanarasimha further directed officials to accelerate efforts to expand government-provided IVF services.
Inspections of the remaining ART facilities are continuing. The department said further action would be taken after examining inspection findings, police-seized records and information obtained from the National ART and Surrogacy Registry.
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The alleged interstate egg donation racket came to light after Hyderabad police conducted searches at working women’s hostels and other premises in Begumpet and Saroornagar on 30 and 31 October, following a tip-off about suspected illegal activities. The operation involved Begumpet and Saroornagar police, along with the Special Operations Team of the Malkajgiri Commissionerate.
Police rescued 43 women from different locations and apprehended several people suspected of recruiting them for egg donation. The women, who had come from states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, were allegedly offered between ₹20,000 and ₹50,000 for each donation cycle.
Three FIRs were registered: one at Begumpet police station and two at Saroornagar police station. The FIRs record that women were accommodated at Ami Nita Girls Hostel in Begumpet and Shetty Working Women’s Hostel in Saroornagar. They told police that intermediaries had offered them money and that they were supposed to undergo procedures at fertility centres in Hyderabad.
During the searches, officials seized hormonal injections, tablets, syringes and other medical material. Some women told police that they had been administered hormonal injections and medicines in preparation for the proposed procedures. The FIRs also record concerns about the absence of authorised medical supervision at the accommodation premises and biomedical waste disposal.
The three FIRs name five fertility establishments: Oasis Fertility Centre, Padmaja Fertility Centre, Fertilica Fertility, Narmada Fertility Centre and Nova Fertility Centre. However, the FIRs state that the alleged involvement of these establishments requires independent verification. They do not establish that egg retrieval procedures were actually performed at the named centres.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
