NEW DELHI: An illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket operating out of a fertility clinic in Hyderabad was busted Sunday, leading to the arrest of eight individuals, including the clinic’s owner and fertility specialist, Dr A Namratha.A detailed investigation revealed that Namratha, 64, was running a large-scale scam through clinics located in Vijayawada, Secunderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Kondapur. She allegedly collected between Rs 20–30 lakh from each client under false pretenses, police said.Police further disclosed that Namratha’s son, an advocate by profession, managed the clinic’s financial operations from the same premises. He also reportedly intimidated clients who raised objections. Authorities, as cited by PTI, added that over 10 previous cases had been registered against the accused at various police stations across Andhra Pradesh. Despite the medical and health department cancelling the clinic’s registration earlier, it continued operations using the name of another certified doctor on official documents.The clinic at Gopalapuram in Hyderabad was sealed with assistance from the medical department.The racket resurfaced after a couple, who believed their child was born through surrogacy, discovered through a DNA test that the baby was not biologically theirs. Alarmed, the couple approached the police.Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Zone–Hyderabad) S Rashmi Perumal told PTI that Dr Namratha, along with her associates and agents, targeted vulnerable women—particularly those seeking abortions—and persuaded them to continue their pregnancies in exchange for money or other inducements. These newborns were then passed off as surrogate babies, misleading clients into believing they were their biological children.According to the police, the victim couple had approached Namratha’s clinic in August 2024 for fertility and IVF consultation. After initial tests, they were advised to opt for surrogacy. They were then referred to the clinic’s Visakhapatnam branch for specimen collection and were told the clinic would arrange a surrogate and handle the embryo transplant.Over the course of nine months, the couple made several payments totaling more than Rs 35 lakh. In June 2025, they were informed that a baby boy had been delivered via C-section in Visakhapatnam. The child was handed over to them along with documentation falsely listing them as the biological parents.“The baby was not shown as a child born to a surrogate, which drew their suspicion. Later, the couple went in for DNA test which revealed that the child’s DNA did not match theirs,” said Rashmi.When the couple sought clarification from the clinic, they were denied documentation and threatened, prompting them to file a police complaint.In the current case, police traced the baby’s biological parents, originally from Assam and residing in Hyderabad, through agents. They had reportedly been paid a small amount after giving up the child. Both were arrested on charges of baby selling, and the infant has been handed over to ‘Shishu Vihar’ as per protocol.Dismissing certain media reports, Rashmi clarified, “It is a case wherein the victim couple were told that they were going in for surrogacy, but in reality the baby was sold by the original parents and that the baby was shown to this complainant couple (by the accused) as their child. But when they did the DNA test it was revealed as not matching with theirs.” She also refuted claims that the child had cancer or that donor sperm had been used, reported PTI.The investigation remains underway, and additional legal action is being taken.