‘Woman donated eggs 37 times, turned agent’: 5,000 page charge sheet exposes Badlapur IVF exploitation racket

ULHASNAGAR: Police have filed a nearly 5,000-page chargesheet before an Ulhasnagar court in the alleged illegal egg donation racket busted in Badlapur, within 88 days of beginning the investigation. The chargesheet names 15 accused, including five doctors, women agents and others allegedly linked to the operation.

According to police, eight accused directly involved in the racket were arrested, while notices were issued to seven others allegedly connected indirectly to the case. The chargesheet contains statements of 25 witnesses and details of nearly 250 egg donations allegedly carried out through 30 women.

Police said the chargesheet outlines the role of all eight arrested accused. Among them is a woman donor who allegedly donated eggs at least 37 times in violation of legal norms and later became an agent, recruiting financially distressed women into the network. Under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, egg donation is permitted only once in a lifetime and commercial exploitation is banned.

Investigators alleged women were paid Rs 25,000-30,000 per cycle, administered hormonal injections without proper supervision, and their eggs were later sold for lakhs of rupees.

Earlier in April, police had issued notices to four doctors running IVF centres in connection with the illegal extraction and sale of human eggs from economically vulnerable women. Of the four doctors, two were from Mumbai, one from Thane, and one from Baramati.

Officials said several victims were repeatedly used as egg donors at different IVF clinics in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and Baramati. Financial transactions between the victims and at least 30 doctors had also come under the scanner. Police said they had identified 30-35 donors linked to each agent.

Seven persons had been arrested, including Dr Amol Patil, director of Malti IVF Centre in Nashik, and three women agents. The agents allegedly lured poor and financially distressed women by offering them Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per cycle.

The victims were administered hormonal injections to stimulate egg production and were repeatedly used as donors. Police said the injections were often administered without proper medical supervision or prescriptions. The women were later taken to IVF centres where eggs were extracted and allegedly sold.

In March, Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation's health department raided Bhagwan Hospital in Ulhasnagar, where illegal sonography procedures linked to the racket were being conducted. The facility was sealed after officials found violations of medical norms, including lack of proper patient records and procedures allegedly carried out by unqualified persons.

Authorities believed Dr Patil played a key role in coordinating the illegal activities.

What is egg donation?

• Egg donation is an assisted reproductive technology process in which a fertile woman (donor) provides eggs to another person or couple who are unable to conceive.
• Donor eggs may be also be needed for women who have low-quality eggs, premature menopause, older or genetic diseases.
• Donor eggs have a high success rate for pregnancy as the donors are young, healthy.
• Egg donation in India is strictly regulated under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Act, 2021, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021:
  • Only married women can be donors.
  • Egg donation can only be altruistic, anonymous.
  • Women can donate eggs only once.
  • Donors must be aged 23–35 with at least one child of their own.
  • Commercial sale of eggs is prohibited.