3 months ago
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The Hyderabad bureau of Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested Dr Athuluri Namratha alias Pachipalli Namratha nether the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, successful transportation with an alleged illegal surrogacy and kid trafficking racket.
According to the Directorate of Enforcement, the apprehension was made connected Thursday during the people of probe into activities carried retired successful the sanction of Universal Srusthi Fertility and Research Centre.
The ED initiated its probe connected the ground of aggregate FIRs registered by Gopalapuram constabulary station, Hyderabad, relating to charges of fraud, cheating, transgression conspiracy, amerciable surrogacy and kid trafficking. Police had earlier arrested Dr Namratha and others during their investigation. She was granted bail connected November 27, 2025.
During the PMLA investigation, the ED recorded statements of Dr Namratha and her associates successful judicial custody and conducted searches astatine assorted premises. Officials said documentary grounds was seized indicating her engagement successful the racket since 2014. The probe revealed that she continued the amerciable operations adjacent aft aggregate cases had been registered against her and her aesculapian licence had been suspended by the authorities.
According to investigators, Dr Namratha collected important sums of wealth from childless couples connected the committedness of providing babies done surrogacy. To contiguous the process arsenic legitimate, gametes of the couples were collected for implantation successful a surrogate mother. Newborn babies were alternatively sourced from mediocre and susceptible parents who were incapable to rise the kid oregon were considering terminating the pregnancy.
A web of agents and sub-agents was allegedly progressive successful identifying and persuading economically distressed large women to springiness up their babies successful speech for money. The ED stated that Dr Namratha allegedly paid astir ₹3.5 lakh for a pistillate kid and ₹4.5 lakh for a antheral child. Such deliveries were conducted astatine a infirmary successful Visakhapatnam aft the licence of her Secunderabad infirmary was revoked.
Investigators further recovered that commencement reports submitted to municipal authorities were forged to bespeak the names of the commissioning couples arsenic parents, alternatively of the biologic parents. The bureau said respective couples were cheated successful this mode and ample sums were collected done cheques and cash.
An investigation of slope accounts maintained by Dr Namratha revealed that funds received from childless couples were subsequently transferred to agents and sub-agents, who successful crook made payments to the biologic parents of the trafficked infants.
The ED stated that aft being released connected bail, Dr Namratha remained evasive and non-cooperative during questioning contempt being confronted with grounds relating to the alleged proceeds of transgression and wealth laundering.
She was produced earlier the MSJ Court, Nampally, which remanded her to judicial custody until February 26, 2026. Further probe is nether way.
