Hyderabad police have rescued 43 women and arrested nine people in raids across Begumpet, Erragadda, Saroornagar and Gopalapuram over an alleged egg donation racket involving women brought from different states and promised payments of up to ₹30,000 per donation.
The operation was carried out by the Malkajgiri special operations team and law and order police. Police commissioner B. Sumathi said the women were allegedly kept in rented houses before being referred for fertility procedures. Preliminary findings indicate that recruiters targeted financially vulnerable women in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Police said the women were promised between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000 per cycle. Investigators are verifying their medical histories, the circumstances in which they were recruited, whether valid consent was obtained and whether the alleged network was linked to fertility centres or assisted reproductive technology banks.
Eight arrests were made in connection with raids in Begumpet and Saroornagar, while businessman Emirishetty Durga Prasad was arrested in Saroornagar. The accused identified by police include Amit Sharma, described as the alleged prime organiser; Nikkat Parveen, a recruiter from West Bengal; Reshma Khatoon, an agent; Meghavath Srinivas, a coordinator; Jepray Pradeep, an ART manager; Sk. Parveen, whose role remains under investigation; Vijay Bhagwah Rao Salunke, linked to documentation; and Pankaj Soni, an intermediary.
According to police, Amit Sharma had allegedly been operating the network for two years from Prakashnagar, Begumpet, where he paid ₹50,000 in monthly rent. Officers seized documents, mobile phones, vials of injections, syringes, needles and tablets during the raids. Investigators are examining whether hormonal drugs were administered to prepare the women for egg retrieval.
The police are also scrutinising suspected forged Aadhaar cards, affidavits and financial transactions. The identities and individual circumstances of the rescued women are still being verified, and the investigation is examining whether the alleged activities breached medical and legal safeguards governing assisted reproductive procedures.
Three cases have been registered—one at Begumpet and two at Saroornagar—under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021. The operation was supervised by Commissioner Sumathi along with senior officers from the LB Nagar and Malkajgiri zones.
Police have appealed to residents to report suspicious recruitment or the accommodation of women under the pretext of employment or fertility services. Joint teams are continuing to examine the alleged links between the recruiters, intermediaries, documentation handlers and fertility-related facilities.
