Couple fails to get surrogate kid, 2 docs held

KPHB police on Wednesday registered a case against Universal Shrusti Fertility Hospital for allegedly cheating a couple of `13 lakh over delivering a surrogate baby. A zero-FIR was originally registered at Kothagudem police station and it was subsequently transferred to KPHB for investigation.

According to police, a childless couple from Kothagudem had approached the fertility hospital at KPHB Colony last year. Dr Rani suggested they go for surrogacy treatment, which could be done at their Visakhapatnam centre.

The police said that the complainant alleged that the hospital took `13 lakh from the couple, which they deposited in the bank accounts of Dr

Namratha. They said that the delivery would be between the first and second weeks of June. However, the couple was informed by the hospital authorities in the first week of July that the surrogate mother had succumbed to Covid-19, and they would start a new process.

A couple of weeks later, the couple found that Dr Namratha and Dr.

Thirmala were arrested by the Visakhapatnam police in a child-trafficking case and lodged a complaint at Kothagudem police station against both of them on charges of cheating.

The police added that the case has been re-registered on Wednesday against the accused and investigation has been taken up.

THE POLICE said that the complainant alleged that the hospital took

` 13 lakh from the couple, which they deposited in the bank accounts of Dr Namratha.