Rs 35,000, a forged Aadhaar: How 15-year-old was lured into becoming illegal IVF donor in Prayagraj

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ganga Nagar (Prayagraj), Kuldeep Singh said the accused allegedly made a forged Aadhaar card to show the victim was 25 and married.

Police have questioned staff of the IVF centre where the teen allegedly underwent the procedure. DCP Singh said police have also written to the health department to examine whether there were any irregularities in the centre’s functioning and sought a thorough inquiry into the functioning and compliance of other IVF centres in the district.

As per the eligibility criteria under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, only women between 23 and 35 years of age can donate. The woman may donate eggs only once in her life and not more than seven eggs may be retrieved from her, it states. Further, a centre must not supply gametes of a single donor to more than one commissioning party (i.e. couples or single women seeking services).

The accused, their role

During questioning of the accused, police found that the minor victim and Palak worked as waitresses at a wedding.

Police found that Palak, in collusion with her mother, allegedly lured the teenager with money — Rs 35,500 — to become an IVF donor by misleading her about the nature and legality of the procedure.

Police said the two took her to Seema whose son, Himanshu, allegedly made a fake Aadhaar card of the victim using a mobile app.

Police claimed Seema subsequently took the minor, along with the forged document, to Kalpana — a registered agent at an IVF centre and Seema’s niece.

Police said a fabricated consent affidavit was allegedly made in the victim’s name to make the procedure appear lawful.

Using these fake documents, the accused allegedly facilitated the donation procedure at the centre on January 20.

Police said when her statement was recorded before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), the victim admitted she had accompanied Palak to the IVF centre, where her ova were extracted. Police registered the case under charges of kidnapping or abduction, human trafficking, and criminal intimidation.

The victim’s mother also alleged religious conversion. However, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, Arun Parasar, said no evidence supporting the claim has been found so far.
A police officer said the victim has been staying at a One Stop Centre since February 3 owing to issues in the family.

Probe so far

Police officers said it appears the accused were allegedly targeting young girls and women from different age groups, and used forged documents to place them in the legally permitted 23-35 year age bracket to make them appear eligible for the IVF procedure.

Officers said they are trying to ascertain if there are more victims as they found photographs of women of different age groups on the phones of one of the accused.

According to Station Officer, Phaphamau police station, Ashwani Kumar, the probe showed Rs 35,500 was paid to a donor.

Police also questioned the staff of the IVF centre and collected documents related to the minor’s case.

During initial inquiry, police said the staff told them the IVF centre did not independently verify donors as they were brought by agents after the required formalities.

Police said they have asked the IVF centre to provide complete details of donors brought by Kalpana, and submit information about other agents associated with it and the donors they introduced.

Police have also asked the medical department to explain the correct procedure for such treatments, how they should be carried out, and who is responsible at each stage. Since the health department has technical expertise in such matters, it has been requested to verify the entire procedure followed by the IVF centre, he added.

The DCP said based on the department’s response, police will decide the next course of action.