The police argued against bail on the grounds that the accused are not cooperating, and their release could result in tampering of evidence or witness intimidation.
Published Aug 02, 2025 | 11:42 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 02, 2025 | 11:42 AM
Dr Namaratha
Synopsis: A court granted five-day police custody of Dr Namratha and others in a major illegal surrogacy and baby-selling case linked to Universal Srushti Fertility Centre. Accused of selling a baby for ₹70,000, the group allegedly ran an unregistered surrogacy racket across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Police seized evidence and warned of witness tampering if bail is granted.
In the illegal surrogacy and gamete trafficking case centred on Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, a local court has granted five-day police custody of Dr Athaluri Namratha, her advocate son SS Jayanth Krishna, and several others, after damning details emerged in the police remand report.
The report lays out a vast and organised network of illegal surrogacy services, baby-selling, and unethical medical practices across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, implicating medical professionals, advocates, and agents.
“As per confessions of the accused and more particularly the confession of Namratha, it is established that these individuals have knowingly committed offences punishable under Sections 61, 316, 335, 336, 340 and 111 of the BNS Act, 2023, Sections 38, 39, and 40 of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, and Sections 8 and 87 of the Juvenile Justice Act,” the police said in the remand note submitted to the court.
Among the most alarming revelations is the sale of a baby boy for ₹70,000 to a couple from Rajasthan who believed they were undergoing a legitimate surrogacy procedure.
“At the time of delivery, the surrogate mother was admitted at the Visakhapatnam centre by creating records as if she had been admitted by the intended mother. She gave birth via C-section by Dr Padmaja,” the report stated.
“The baby was then shifted to Lotus Women and Child Care Hospital for further treatment, and to keep A10 away from LW (List Witness)-1. Later, LW-9 and LW-10 were given ₹70,000 and the baby was handed over to LW-1, pretending the baby was hers,” the report added.
It was only after a DNA test conducted independently in Delhi that the couple discovered the baby was not biologically theirs.
A key accused, identified as A5, is a doctor at Hyderabad’s government-run Gandhi Hospital. According to the police, the doctor knowingly administered anaesthesia to patients at Universal Srushti despite being aware that the facility had no official registration in Telangana.
“A5 is a doctor in Gandhi Hospital and used to visit Universal Srushti Fertility Centre whenever required, for giving anaesthesia to the patients, knowingly that the centre is running without registration,” the police stated.
“Dr Nargula Sadanandam confessed to having committed the offence knowingly that Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, Secunderabad doesn’t have any registration,” said the remand report.
The remand report also underlined a glaring contradiction: While Universal Srushti operated without any official registration in Telangana, it had managed to register its Visakhapatnam centre in Andhra Pradesh.
A2, identified as SS Jayanth Krishna, son of the main accused Dr Namratha, is an advocate, who played a crucial role in client management and cover-ups.
“A2 sits at the Secunderabad centre’s front office and handles client issues, especially where money is collected without treatment or where false surrogacy arrangements are made,” the report said.
“He usually manages such cases by threatening clients with legal consequences or settling the matters quietly. Whenever A1 [Dr Namratha] is unavailable, A2 collects the payments,” police noted.
The police said that agents were actively used to recruit poor and vulnerable women into surrogacy arrangements, often with misleading promises of high-end medical care and healthy babies. “A6 is an agent who is luring innocent and poor women as donor surrogates by offering them some amounts and providing them to A1,” police said.
The remand report also explained how LW-1, the intended mother from Rajasthan, was lured into the arrangement and charged ₹30.26 lakh — through bank transfers and in cash — for the supposed surrogacy.
On 26 July, police raided Universal Srushti’s Secunderabad centre with a search warrant and seized incriminating material including:
“Namratha personally oversees all surrogacy cases and manages the financial transactions, including maintaining records and transferring amounts into different bank accounts,” police said.
Dr Namratha’s confession also pointed to her efforts to keep all patient records hidden.
“She stored all surrogacy case sheets in the drawer of her consultancy room to keep them out of reach from others and ensure that no records are handed over to patients,” the report stated.
The police argued against bail on the grounds that the accused are not cooperating, and their release could result in tampering of evidence or witness intimidation.
“If the accused are released on bail, there is every possibility that they would influence the witnesses and tamper with evidence. The accused are continuing their involvement in offences in an organised manner, evading legal clutches,” police said.
Multiple accused, including the surrogate mother A10 and her husband A9, confessed to selling the baby, allegedly on the advice of two more unidentified individuals .
The court has permitted the police to take the accused into custody from Chanchalguda prison and question them at Gopalapuram police station under senior supervision.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
