INVESTIGATORS have uncovered an illegal fertility racket that allegedly exploited poor women by making them undergo repeated egg retrieval procedures in violation of Indian law. The network allegedly involved agents, doctors, pharmacists, document forgers and fertility clinics operating across multiple states. One woman allegedly underwent at least 45 egg retrieval procedures, even though the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 permits a woman to donate eggs only once in her lifetime.
Another donor allegedly underwent 35 retrieval procedures in just three years with police claiming she was transported to fertility clinics in Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the procedures. According to an Indian Express report, for women caught in the network, the decision was not driven by their health, but by poverty.
The Indian Express reports that 30-year-old Neeta Prasad (name changed for privacy), a domestic worker from Ulhasnagar, earned around ₹10,000 a month cleaning homes. Her husband worked as a cook at roadside eateries while their son stayed with relatives in their village to continue his education.
After moving to Ulhasnagar in 2022 in search of better opportunities, the family instead found itself struggling to survive. According to reports, it was during this period that a relative introduced Neeta to what appeared to be an “easy” source of income.
According to Indian Express, Neeta was told she could earn ₹20,000 by donating her "stree beej" (eggs) because she had already given birth to children. She claims that nobody explained the long-term health consequences of the procedure to her.
The process allegedly began with nearly two weeks of hormone injections administered into her abdomen every day to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. She then underwent repeated ultrasound scans before receiving a trigger injection and being taken to a clinic, where doctors retrieved the eggs through a needle inserted through the vaginal wall while she was sedated.
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Neeta said that she experiences bloating, pelvic pain, mood swings, fatigue, and discomfort after the procedures. According to her, she was repeatedly assured by those administering the injections that such symptoms were normal and that she was helping women who are infertile and can’t bear children.
After the painful experience of the first procedure, she had decided never to undergo the procedure again. However, getting ₹20,000 in her hand she succumbed to the financial pressures and returned for another egg retrieval. Every time agents contacted her again, she agreed as school fees, rent, and household expenses kept mounting.
By the time investigators uncovered the alleged racket this year, police reports that Neeta had undergone at least 45 egg retrieval procedures over the years. The situation gets more horrifying when the racket uncovered more women’s stories who faced the same ordeal, many not knowing what they were doing was illegal. One woman got into the network after her husband abandoned her in 2023 and reportedly received ₹30,000 for every procedure.
The alleged racket first came to light on February 19, when Badlapur Police received information that hormone injections were being administered to women inside a residential apartment. Suspecting illegal medical activity, police sought assistance from district health authorities. Government doctors also accompanied officers during the raid, acting on instructions from Thane Civil Surgeon Dr Kailash Pawar.
According to investigators, officers recovered Menotropin, a fertility drug used to stimulate egg production at a residential apartment in the area. Police allege the residence functioned as an illegal injection centre where women received fertility medication before being sent elsewhere for ultrasound scans and egg retrieval procedures.
As the investigation went on, authorities claim they uncovered a large network from Thane, Badlapur, and several other regions, involving recruiters, medicine suppliers, sonography operators, document forgers and fertility clinics. Police have booked 15 accused under provisions relating to human trafficking, exploitation, forgery, and violations of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021.
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Investigators allege the network repeatedly bypassed the legal restriction of one lifetime egg donation by creating forged Aadhaar cards and fake identities, allowing the same women to be presented as first-time donors again and again. Investigators say intended parents seeking donor eggs allegedly paid between ₹3 lakh and ₹5 lakh for each cycle. Donors allegedly received only ₹20,000 to ₹35,000, while agents reportedly earned Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh for arranging each donor. Others allegedly profited through commissions for medicines, scans and forged documentation.
Medical experts say the case raises disturbing questions about the health consequences of repeatedly stimulating women's ovaries and carrying out invasive retrieval procedures.
While speaking to The Indian Express, Dr Anjali Malpani, Professor Emeritus at KEM Hospital and founder-director of Malpani Infertility Clinic, described the alleged practice as "the worst form of physical abuse. According to her, repeated cycles of hormone injections, anaesthesia and egg retrieval can place enormous strain on a woman's reproductive system. She also noted that very little scientific research exists on women undergoing 20 to 30 egg retrieval procedures over short periods, making the long-term effects largely unknown.
Dr Kailash Pawar also cautioned that repeated procedures increase the risk of infections and ovarian cysts. According to Dr Aniruddha Malpani, patient advocate and co-founder of Malpani Infertility Clinic, weak regulatory oversight and increasing commercialisation have created conditions where financially vulnerable women can be exploited by intermediaries unless enforcement improves.
However, what Neeta remembers are the injections, the repeated scans, the invasive procedures and the envelopes carrying cash that helped pay for her son's education. Nobody, she says, fully explained the price her body would eventually pay.
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