Hyderabad Surrogacy Racket; Egg Donors Act as Agents
HYDERABAD: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has uncovered a structured “pipeline of exploitation” in an illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket. The network gradually pulled vulnerable women into its operations.
According to a provisional attachment order dated March 9 in a case linked to Dr Pachipala Namratha, women initially joined clinical trials, egg donation, or surrogacy to earn quick money. Over time, the network recruited them as agents. It then tasked them with identifying and persuading financially distressed women to sell their newborns, as reported by TOI.
Trial participant to agent
The ED cited Muthipeta Nandhini, a Hyderabad resident, as a key example. She first took part in clinical trials in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. She earned ₹15,000–₹20,000 per trial.
Later, she became a surrogate mother twice and earned ₹27.5 lakh. She also donated eggs twice. Gradually, she began using her contacts from trial circles to identify vulnerable women.
Nandhini and her husband, Muthipeta Sanjay, identified Nasreen Begum, a fellow trial participant. Begum was eight months pregnant and in debt. The couple persuaded her to sell her baby to Dr Namratha’s clinic instead of seeking an abortion.
The ED also named Mohammed Ali Adik and Nasreen Begum as biological parents in one case. Investigators found that Sanjay, a former colleague of Ali Adik in clinical trials, drew them into the network.
Egg donors move up the chain
The investigation found that egg donors also became recruiters.
Dhanasri Santoshi from Hyderabad began as an egg donor in 2012. She donated around 12 times at various fertility centres. Over time, she built a strong network and became a lead agent.
She allegedly charged ₹5,000 per donor. She also managed sub-agents who sourced pregnant women from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
One sub-agent, Shahina, originally from Rajasthan and living near Aramghar, identified pregnant women. She earned commissions of about ₹50,000.
Harsha Roy emerged as another key sub-agent. She met Nandhini through donor circles. Later, she directed Nandhini and Nasreen Begum to the clinic for the illegal sale of a newborn.
Pasupuleti Lavanya worked as an egg donor-cum-agent. She shifted from donation to sourcing pregnant women and allegedly procured two women for the network.
The ED said the probe exposed a layered system. The network first exploited women and later used them to recruit others in distress.
