CHENNAI: A major child trafficking racket has come to light in Andhra Pradesh involving a fertility centre operator named Namratha. Based in Vijayawada, Namratha had been running fertility clinics in several major cities, including Vijayawada and Hyderabad.
She reportedly convinced childless couples that they could have babies through IVF and surrogacy. Promising successful procedures using the couple’s own sperm and eggs, she claimed that the embryos would be implanted and carried by a surrogate mother.
For this, she charged each couple between Rs 30 and Rs 40 lakh, in addition to extra fees for the surrogate’s medical, nutritional, and personal care during the pregnancy, said a Maalaimalar report.
However, during a recent investigation, it was discovered that Namratha and her team had been running a trafficking operation in the guise of a fertility service. They allegedly abducted babies and passed them off as being born through surrogacy. Acting on complaints from some of the affected couples, police arrested Namratha and seven others.
Further probe revealed that a total of 80 babies had been trafficked and sold to unsuspecting childless couples. It is estimated that Namratha cheated the couples of around Rs 25 crore through this illegal operation. The buyers, now realizing they were deceived, are reportedly in distress.
Following the arrests, authorities have frozen the bank accounts of Namratha and her son, Jayanth Krishna, as investigations continue. Police sources say even more disturbing details are expected to emerge in the coming days.