Hyderabad:The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), which is investigating financial irregularities at the Shrusti Universal IVF Clinic under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is likely to attach properties allegedly amassed by the main accused, Dr Pachipala Namratha.
A few days ago, ED officials questioned Namratha over allegations that she collected large sums in cash from patients without issuing bills and diverted the money to purchase immovable properties in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad. Sources said the agency had obtained documents related to the properties, including their valuation and market details.
Investigations revealed that the clinic collected fees in cash from patients while issuing bills only for digital payments or bank transfers. Based on Namratha’s statement, ED officials are now verifying the extent of properties and benami assets registered in her name and those of her family members, with the intention of attaching them.
While the Hyderabad police are preparing to file a comprehensive charge sheet, the ED is concentrating on identifying and attaching the properties amassed by Namratha through illegal proceeds. Police have questioned over 150 persons, including witnesses and victims from different states. About 30 of those arrested earlier have obtained bail.
The case initially came to light when the Gopalapuram police registered a complaint from a couple who alleged that Srushti Hospital had cheated them under the guise of surrogacy treatment. The complainants said the hospital handed over an unhealthy infant whose DNA did not match theirs. The key accused, Namratha, had built a network of middlemen to lure couples seeking fertility and surrogacy services.
According to investigators, in August 2024, the couple approached the accused’s clinic in Secunderabad, where Namratha offered to facilitate surrogacy and referred them to her Visakhapatnam hospital. After the procedure, the woman delivered through C-section performed by Namratha, who handed over a baby along with a birth certificate. When the infant’s health deteriorated, the hospital staff refused to let the couple meet Namratha. The couple, suspecting malpractice, conducted a DNA test in Delhi, which confirmed the baby was not biologically theirs.
Earlier, Hyderabad police had registered multiple cases and arrested over 30 persons, including Namratha and her staff, for allegedly duping couples under the pretext of IVF and surrogacy treatments and engaging in child trafficking. The ED subsequently filed a case and began probing the financial aspects of the scam.
Officials said preliminary findings indicate that the funds collected in cash were diverted through benami transactions and used to purchase properties across multiple states.
