‘Illegal’ Human Egg Trading and Surrogacy Racket Busted in Hyderabad; Two Arrested

PTI |  August 16, 2025 | Hyderabad : Cyberabad Police have busted a major racket involving illegal human egg trading and commercial surrogacy in Hyderabad, arresting two key agents and issuing notices to six donors and surrogate mothers. The network, allegedly comprising seven women and one man, is suspected to have operated in collusion with several fertility centres across the city, officials said.

The two arrested individuals are a 45-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son, both accused of exploiting childless couples for illegal monetary gain. Acting on a tip-off, a special police team conducted a raid on Friday at a premises under Pet-Basheerabad Police Station limits, in the presence of the District Medical and Health Officer, leading to their arrest.

Investigations revealed that the prime accused, the woman, had previously worked as both an egg donor and a surrogate mother. Drawing from her experience and contacts, she began recruiting financially vulnerable women to donate eggs or act as surrogates, referring them to fertility clinics for procedures.

For each successful arrangement, she reportedly collected significant sums of money. She also kept recruited women at her residence and allegedly charged hospitals additional “maintenance fees” for their stay. Police said her son, a Chemical Engineering graduate, was actively assisting her in running the illegal business, which had become their sole source of income.

The police noted that the women recruited as donors and surrogates were aware that commercial surrogacy is prohibited by law but still participated for financial benefit. The alleged involvement of fertility clinics and centres is under probe.

A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. Police added that efforts are ongoing to track down and apprehend others connected to the racket.

Hyderabad Police Bust Illegal Surrogacy and Human Egg Trading Racket; Eight Arrested

Telangana Today  | Hyderabad | August 16, 2025 : In a major crackdown, the Pet-Basheerabad police in Cyberabad unearthed an organised racket involving commercial surrogacy and illegal human egg trading, arresting eight people—including seven women and one man—on Friday. The group allegedly worked in collusion with multiple fertility centres in Hyderabad, exploiting the desperation of childless couples for unlawful financial gain.

According to police, the racket was spearheaded by N. Laxmi Reddy alias Laxmi (45), a resident of Chintal in Quthbullapur. Once an egg donor and surrogate mother herself, Laxmi used her prior experience and contacts in fertility clinics to recruit financially vulnerable women as egg donors or surrogate mothers.

“She then referred them to certain fertility centres and collected huge amounts for each successful procedure,” said Medchal DCP N. Koti Reddy. Police said Laxmi’s son, N. Narender Reddy (27), a Chemical Engineering graduate from JNTU, assisted in managing the illegal network, which became the family’s only source of income.

The duo reportedly housed women at their residence, charging hospitals “maintenance fees” for their stay in addition to arranging egg donations and surrogacy procedures. Six such women—donors and surrogates hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka—were detained during the raid.

Preliminary investigations revealed that all those recruited were aware of the illegality of commercial surrogacy but chose to participate for financial benefits. Police sources said the network had established links with several fertility clinics. Names that have surfaced during the probe include Hegde Fertility Hospital (Madhapur), Anu Test Tube Centre (Somajiguda), Ferty Care (Banjara Hills), EVA IVF, Amulya IVF Centre, and Sree Fertility Centre (Kondapur).

Officials clarified, however, that the involvement of these clinics in the racket is still under verification. “Once their role is established, strict legal action will be taken,” police said.

Investigators also revealed that Laxmi Reddy has a prior criminal record, having been booked in 2024 by the Mumbai CID under charges of human trafficking and violations of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The Pet-Basheerabad police have registered a case under provisions of the Surrogacy Regulation Act, Assisted Reproductive Technology Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. The arrested suspects were produced before court and remanded to judicial custody.

During the operation, police seized ₹6.4 lakh in cash, laptops, promissory notes, non-judicial bond papers, syringes, pregnancy medicines, hormone injections, mobile phones, and case sheets of donors linked to Hegde Hospital.

Officials said further investigation is underway to trace other members of the racket and verify the extent of institutional involvement.