💔 When Dreams Are Sold: The Dark Reality Behind India’s Surrogacy Scandal

"When Dreams Are Sold: Uncovering the tragic layers of India’s surrogacy scandal — a story of broken promises, exploitation, and legal failure."

In the heart of Telangana’s Secunderabad railway station, the air is thick with announcements, footsteps, and advertisement jingles promoting IVF clinics and fertility miracles. To thousands, this may seem like just another bustling junction. But for couples like Sonam and Akshay Singh, it was the gateway to a deeply personal dream — to become parents.

What they didn't know was that just a few streets away, a sinister business was thriving, built on hope, desperation, and deception.

🎯 A Promising Start — And A Costly Mistake

In August 2024, Sonam and Akshay travelled from Kuharwas, Rajasthan to Secunderabad after researching options for in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Outside the station, they found the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, owned by 64-year-old Pachipala Namratha, also known as Athaluri Namratha.

Namratha convinced them not to pursue IVF, but surrogacy — which, she claimed, was “safer and more reliable.” She assured them their own egg and sperm would be used, and that all legal formalities would be taken care of.

The price? ₹30 lakh.The hope? A healthy baby.The assurance? A DNA test to confirm parentage.

The couple transferred ₹15 lakh and paid the rest in cash. A year later, on June 5, 2025, they were handed a baby at Lotus Hospital, Visakhapatnam.

But when the promised DNA test was denied, they went to an independent lab in Delhi — and were devastated to learn: The baby was not theirs.

🚨 The Baby-Selling Racket Exposed

When Sonam and Akshay returned to confront the clinic, Namratha had vanished. Their report to the Gopalpuram police uncovered a wider crime. The clinic wasn’t just unethical — it was criminal.

Namratha and her centre now face charges under:

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: Criminal conspiracy, forgery, breach of trust.

• Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021: Operating without license, false representation, commercial surrogacy.

Police say the clinic cheated at least 15 couples, charging ₹20–30 lakh each and handing out unrelated babies. Falsified medical reports. Illegal commissions. No licensing. A broken system.

🤰🏽 Surrogacy or Exploitation?

Investigations revealed that vulnerable women — many seeking abortions — were coerced into carrying pregnancies. These women were housed in local lodges and paid to deliver babies, which were falsely claimed to be biologically related to couples.

In many cases, women weren’t paid at all. In others, they were simply abandoned post-delivery.

One tragic incident occurred on November 26, 2024 — a surrogate woman from Odisha died after falling from a building while escaping alleged sexual assault by a local man. She had been promised ₹10 lakh to carry a child.

🧬 Donors for Sale

Police also raided Indian Sperm Tech, a facility just 400 metres from the fertility centre. There, they found:

• 17 sperm donors

• 11 egg donors

• No valid license

Samples were collected, frozen, and shipped to Ahmedabad — processed and sold to clinics across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Young men were paid ₹1,000–₹1,500 per sample. Many egg donors were trafficked from states like Delhi and Assam.

This was not medicine. This was a black market.

🏥 The Sealed Clinic With a Dark History

Namratha’s clinic, located in a quiet bylane off St. Johns Road, had been previously sealed five times, according to locals.

In 2016, a U.S.-based couple had discovered that their baby, born via surrogate at the same clinic, was not genetically related to them. Namratha’s license was suspended for five years, and she was banned from conducting surrogacy.

Yet, after the suspension, she allegedly resumed operations — without approval.

🛡️ The Law Steps In

India’s surrogacy laws have evolved to prevent exactly this kind of abuse. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the ART Regulation Act, 2021, prohibit commercial surrogacy. Only altruistic surrogacy — where no money is exchanged, except for medical costs and insurance — is permitted.

Breaking this law can result in:

• Up to 10 years in jail

• Fines up to ₹10 lakh

• Permanent ban from reproductive practice

All procedures must now take place at registered clinics under State supervision.

🔍 Technology vs. Temptation

Dr. Preethi Dayal, who runs a certified fertility centre in Jangaon, points out that newer safeguards — like the RI Witness system — use barcoded sample tracking to prevent mix-ups and fraud.

“Every patient receives a barcode-linked card. If there’s any mismatch, the entire lab is alerted.”

Still, she adds, “Many smaller clinics skip these safeguards. Some do 10–15 IVF cycles a day. Without oversight, errors — or abuses — are inevitable.”

⚖️ When the System Fails Hope

Sonam and Akshay’s story isn’t just about one couple. It’s about a system that promises life — but profits off vulnerability.

It's about desperation, trust, and the terrifying truth: babies can be bought, hope can be stolen, and laws — unless enforced — are only words.

💬 What Do You Think?

Should surrogacy be banned altogether?Are current regulations enough, or do we need stronger surveillance?

👇 Share your thoughts in the comments below. Your voice matters.