Hyderabad: Twenty-five people, including doctors, have been arrested for allegedly running a fake surrogacy and child trafficking racket busted here last month. Eight people, including Dr A Namratha the prime accused, doctor and owner of a fertility clinic and her associates were earlier arrested for defrauding a couple with fake surrogacy claims, based on an FIR filed on July 27 at Gopalapuram Police station.

Investigation into the initial complaint revealed a wider network of deceit, with multiple victims coming forward with similar allegations of cheating, organized medical fraud and child trafficking, police said. Eight more criminal cases were registered against Namratha and her associates. They are accused of running an organized criminal network under the guise of fertility services, systematically exploiting vulnerable couples both emotionally and financially, DCP (North Zone- Hyderabad) S Rashmi Perumal said.

In the course of investigation, police so far arrested 25 individuals including doctors, lab technicians, managers, agents and (biological) parents of the trafficked babies. All of them were allegedly linked to the illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket operated under the guise of fertility treatments at the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre’s branches in Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam, a release from Hyderabad Police said. The victims paid lakhs of rupees for IVF treatments and later for surrogacy procedures.