POLICE on Saturday busted an alleged illegal human oocyte (egg) extraction and commercial sale racket in the city, arresting eight persons and rescuing 43 women. The Begumpet and Saroornagar police, along with the Malkajgiri Commissionerate’s Special Operations Team (SOT), searched four locations spread across the two commissionerates, according to the press release. The accused allegedly recruited women from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and other States, transported them to Hyderabad and sheltered them for egg donation procedures at IVF and fertility centres. The 43 women rescued from various places in the city hailed from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and other States.

 

Separate cases were registered at the Begumpet and Saroornagar police stations under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, the release said. The women told police they were brought to Hyderabad after being offered Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per egg donation cycle. Some said they were given hormonal injections and medicines in connection with the proposed procedures. A preliminary investigation revealed that the network functioned through organisers, recruiters, agents and intermediaries, who identified women in different states by offering monetary incentives for oocyte donation. Police also seized documents, mobile phones and other material for examination.