Overview
- Dr Athuluri Namratha was produced in the Nampally court and remanded to judicial custody until February 26.
- Investigators allege newborns were procured from poor parents and birth records were forged to list commissioning couples as the parents.
- The ED says the operation dates to 2014, paying about ₹3.5 lakh for a girl and ₹4.5 lakh for a boy while collecting large sums from couples.
- Financial scrutiny cited by the ED shows fees per baby rose from ₹9–11 lakh in 2014–15 to ₹20–30 lakh by 2024–25, with a money trail from victims to agents and biological families.
- After the Secunderabad licence was revoked, deliveries were arranged at a Visakhapatnam facility through a network of agents, as the ED widens its probe to trace funds and identify accomplices.