43 women rescued in illegal human egg harvesting racket in Hyderabad

Eight people were arrested and 43 women from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and other States were rescued during simultaneous raids at four premises in Hyderabad as police busted an alleged illegal human egg harvesting and commercial sale racket involving recruitment, transportation and accommodation of women for oocyte donation procedures.

The raids were conducted by Begumpet and Saroornagar police along with the Special Operations Team of the Malkajgiri Commissionerate at premises in Prakash Nagar, Begumpet, Erragadda, Saroornagar and Gopalapuram. Police seized documents, mobile phones and other material, while the identities, recruitment circumstances and medical histories of the rescued women are being verified.

Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B. Sumathi said the investigation was examining how women were recruited from different States and brought to Hyderabad after being offered ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 for each egg donation cycle. “We are examining the recruitment, transportation, accommodation and medical procedures, including whether the required legal and safety protocols were followed,” she said.

During the investigation, the women reportedly told police that hormonal injections and medicines were being administered to them in connection with the proposed procedures. Police seized five vials of Humog HP 150 I.U. injections, a syringe, two needles, Primolut and Meprate tablets and other material.

Police said inspections of the premises also raised concerns about the absence of authorised medical supervision and biomedical waste disposal arrangements. The investigation is also examining medical records, informed consent, donor frequency, insurance and safety protocols, as well as the statutory compliance of fertility centres and ART banks under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021.

Among those arrested in connection with the Begumpet and Saroornagar cases are Amit Sharma, 44, described as the alleged main organiser, Nikkat Parveen, 31, an alleged co-organiser and recruiter, Reshma Khatoon, 26, an IVF agent or sub-agent, Meghavath Srinivas alias Sonu, 23, Jepray Pradeep, 27, Sk. Parveen, 42, Vijay Bhagwah Rao Salunke, 46, and Pankaj Soni, 52. Emirisheetty Durga Prasad, 42, a businessman from Saroornagar, was also arrested in connection with one of the Saroornagar cases.

Police said Amit Sharma had been operating from a rented premises at Prakash Nagar, Begumpet, for about two years, paying ₹50,000 a month. Nikkat Parveen allegedly recruited women, particularly from West Bengal, through agents and coordinated their transportation to Hyderabad.

The preliminary investigation indicates that organisers, recruiters, agents and intermediaries allegedly identified women in different States by offering monetary incentives, transported them to Hyderabad, accommodated them in rented premises and referred them to fertility-related service providers for ovarian stimulation and oocyte retrieval procedures.

The investigation is also focusing on identifying recruitment agents, tracing the transportation of the women, verifying suspected forged Aadhaar cards, affidavits and other documents, and tracing financial transactions and commissions. Police are examining whether there were instances of coercion, deception, exploitation or human trafficking and whether fertility centres and ART banks complied with statutory requirements.

The cases were registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 29 and 33 of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021. Further investigation is under way.

Published – October 31, 2026 10:24 pm IST