Hyderabad: The Malkajgiri Commissionerate police have widened their probe into a massive inter-state illegal egg donation (oocyte extraction) racket. Following simultaneous raids at multiple rented safe houses and hostels across Saroornagar, Begumpet, and Erragadda, the police rescued 48 financially vulnerable women and arrested eight key operators.
The cartel targeted women from economically weaker sections across seven states—including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, and Jharkhand.
The victims were lured to Hyderabad with promises of "quick money," specifically a payout of ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 per egg donation cycle. However, the operators sold these eggs to affluent, childless couples via local fertility clinics for a staggering average of ₹3 lakh per cycle, pocketing massive profit margins.
While confined in facilities like the Shetty Working Women’s Hostel, the women were administered hormonal stimulation injections and tablets without authorized medical supervision.
To bypass India’s Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021—which strictly mandates that a woman can donate eggs only once in her lifetime—the accused forged Aadhaar cards, consent forms, and medical histories to repeatedly harvest eggs from the same donors.
"We are thoroughly examining the recruitment, transportation, accommodation, and medical procedures, including whether the required legal and safety protocols were followed," stated Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B. Sumathi.
The arrested individuals include prime organizer Amit Sharma, Kolkata-based recruiter Nikhat Parveen, and Pankaj Soni—a repeat offender previously accused in the notorious 2025 Srushti Fertility Centre scandal.
Investigators have now expanded the scanner to 23 prominent IVF and fertility centres in Hyderabad to check if medical professionals knowingly engaged with these illicit human brokers.
The accused face stringent charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)—including organized crime, human trafficking, forgery, and life-endangering negligence—alongside statutory violations of the ART Act.
Medical teams are currently reviewing the health and treatment histories of the rescued women.