The Gopalapuram police have arrested three more individuals in the ongoing investigation into the surrogacy fraud at Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to 11.
According to North Zone DCP S Rashmi Perumal, the recent arrests follow the earlier detainment of eight accused. “The three new suspects have been remanded to judicial custody,” she confirmed during a press briefing.
Among the newly arrested are:
Nandini, a lab technician
R. Harsha
Both were sent to Chanchalguda Women’s Prison on Friday. The identity of the third accused has not yet been revealed by police.
Earlier, the police arrested the main accused, Dr. A. Namratha, the owner of Universal Srushti Fertility Centres operating in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh, along with her son, Jayant Krishna.
The previous list of arrested individuals also includes:
D. Santoshi, who allegedly arranged surrogate mothers
Nasreen Begum, who is accused of selling her own baby
Mohammed Ali Adik, Nasreen’s husband
Kalyani, a manager at the centre
G. Chenna Rao, a lab technician and embryologist
N. Sadanandam, an anesthesiologist at Gandhi Hospital
While most of the accused have been sent to judicial remand, Dr. Namratha remains in police custody for interrogation.
“We are questioning the accused in police custody and will share further details as the investigation progresses,” added DCP Perumal.
Authorities suspect that the case may expose wider malpractice in the fertility and surrogacy sector, and more arrests are likely.
