Published Nov 03, 2026 | 9:13 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 03, 2026 | 9:13 AM
The raids covered premises in Prakash Nagar, Begumpet, Erragadda, Saroornagar and Gopalapuram.
Synopsis: Hyderabad police are investigating an alleged interstate ‘egg donation racket’ in which recipients reportedly specified caste, religion and complexion while selecting donors. Three FIRs name five fertility centres, including Nova IVF, Oasis and Padmaja. Women were allegedly offered ₹20,000-50,000 per donation cycle.
Prospective recipients seeking donated eggs allegedly specified caste, religion, complexion and other physical characteristics while selecting donors, with recruitment agents identifying women who matched their preferences, according to Hyderabad police investigating an alleged interstate egg donation racket.
Police are also tracing payments to donors, commissions to intermediaries and the role of five fertility centres named in three FIRs registered in Hyderabad on 30 and 31 October.
Women facing financial difficulties were allegedly recruited as donors by intermediaries, who arranged accommodation for them in working women’s hostels.
The FIRs record that women from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Maharashtra were brought to Hyderabad after being offered between ₹20,000 and ₹50,000 for each egg donation cycle.
The three FIRs, registered at Saroornagar and Begumpet police stations, name Oasis Fertility Centre, Banjara Hills; Padmaja Fertility Centre; Fertilica Fertility, Banjara Hills; Narmada Fertility Centre; and Nova Fertility Centre, LB Nagar, as establishments where the women said they were supposed to undergo the proposed procedures.
The three FIRs invoke Sections 125, 143(2), 143(3), 271, 272, 318(4), 61(2) and 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021.
The Saroornagar cases invoke Sections 34 and 32(2) of the ART Act, while the Begumpet FIR invokes Sections 33(2) and 34.
The investigation is examining the recruitment of women across states, the payments promised to them, the role of alleged brokers and intermediaries, and the proposed procedures at the fertility establishments named in the FIRs.
Twenty three other IVF centres have also been identified for further inquiry.
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P Saidulu, Begumpet Inspector, told South First that the preferences regarding caste, religion, complexion and other characteristics came from the recipients seeking eggs.
“Regarding the selection of donors based on religion, complexion and other characteristics, that was the choice of the recipients. Those seeking eggs specified their requirements, and donors were selected accordingly,” he said.
When asked how women from states such as Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were recruited, Saidulu said the accused allegedly targeted economically vulnerable women by offering them employment in Hyderabad.
“Women were brought from states such as Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The accused allegedly targeted economically vulnerable people, particularly those facing unemployment and poverty, by offering them employment in Hyderabad. They were persuaded through multiple counselling sessions to take up this kind of work,” he said.
According to Saidulu, the women were allegedly told that egg donation involved no risk or hard work and that they could earn money by donating eggs that would otherwise be released naturally during their menstrual cycles.
The Begumpet FIR records that 12 women from different states were identified and questioned during the inspection of Ami Nita Girls Hostel in Prakash Nagar Extension.
The Saroornagar FIR registered on 30 October records that 15 women were found at Shetty Working Women’s Hostel in Venkateshwara Colony. Another inspection at separate premises in Saroornagar on 31 October found two women.
The FIRs identify the alleged intermediaries as Amith Sharma in the Begumpet case and Emirishetty Durga Prasad in the two Saroornagar cases.
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The amounts offered to prospective donors ranged from ₹20,000 to ₹50,000, according to police.
In the Begumpet case, the FIR names Amit Sharma as an alleged broker who approached women facing financial difficulties and offered them approximately ₹50,000 for each egg donation cycle.
The women were brought to Hyderabad and accommodated at Ami Nita Girls Hostel, managed by Amith Sharma and Nikhat Sharma.
In the Saroornagar case registered on 30 October, 15 women accommodated at Shetty Working Women’s Hostel allegedly told police that they had been offered ₹20,000-30,000 per donation cycle. The premises were managed by Emirishetty Durga Prasad, who was identified as an alleged broker.
The third FIR, registered on 31 October, records similar allegations involving two women from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. They told police that Durga Prasad had offered them ₹20,000-30,000 for each donation cycle.
Police are examining financial transactions and commissions involving organisers, recruitment agents and other intermediaries.
According to earlier police statements, organisers allegedly made around ₹3 lakh from each donation cycle. Investigators are tracing the payments to establish the financial arrangements and the amounts received by different people involved in the network.
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The three FIRs name five distinct fertility establishments where the recruited women said they were supposed to undergo the proposed medical procedures.
The FIR registered at Saroornagar on 30 October names Oasis Fertility Centre in Banjara Hills, Padmaja Fertility Centre in Habsiguda and Fertilica Fertility in Banjara Hills.
The Begumpet FIR, also registered on 30 October, names Padmaja Fertility Centre, Narmada Fertility Centre and Oasis Fertility Centre in Banjara Hills.
The third FIR, registered at Saroornagar on 31 October, names Nova Fertility Centre in LB Nagar.
The FIRs record statements made by the women during preliminary enquiries. They state that the alleged role of the brokers and the involvement, if any, of the named medical establishments require independent verification through medical records, statements and other evidence.
Speaking to South First, Saidulu said 23 IVF centres had been identified for scrutiny.
“Twenty-three IVF centres have been identified. Teams from the health department are conducting inquiries. If any evidence emerges against these centres, appropriate action will be taken and those found involved will also be brought before the court,” he said.
He added that establishing the involvement of individual centres would depend on the material evidence available and the investigating officers’ assessment.
A spokesperson for Nova IVF Fertility told South First that its LB Nagar facility operates exclusively as an ART clinic and not as an ART bank.
“Nova IVF Fertility, L.B. Nagar, operates exclusively as an ART Clinic. Under the provisions of the ART Act, donor screening and verification are the responsibility of ART banks alone. Nova IVF Fertility, L.B. Nagar, operates as an ART Clinic and is not an ART bank,” the spokesperson said.
The Saroornagar FIR registered on 31 October records that two women told police they were supposed to undergo the proposed procedures at Nova Fertility Centre, LB Nagar.
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During inspections at the three accommodation facilities, police and health department officials found hormonal injections, medicines and other medical-related materials.
At Shetty Working Women’s Hostel, where 15 women were accommodated, officials seized five vials of Humog HP 150 IU (Menotrophin) injections, a syringe, two needles, Primolut tablets and Meprate tablets.
At Ami Nita Girls Hostel in Begumpet, where approximately 13 women were accommodated and 12 were identified during preliminary questioning, officials seized four vials of Humog HP 150 IU injections, Primolut and Meprate tablets.
At the third premises in Saroornagar, officials found injections, Folvite tablets, Taxim-O and other medicines.
The women told police that hormonal injections and medicines were being administered to them in connection with the proposed egg donation procedures. The FIRs, however, do not establish whether egg retrieval was actually performed at any of the accommodation facilities or fertility centres.
The inspection reports also record that no qualified medical practitioner or evidence of authorised medical supervision was found at the accommodation premises at the time of inspection. Officials stated that the District Medical and Health Officer had not issued permission for medical-related activities at these premises.
Police also recorded instances of used medicine strips and vials being discarded without following prescribed biomedical waste disposal procedures. Photocopies of Aadhaar cards found at the premises were seized for verification.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
