Raid shuts hospital, clients vanish: Where do 48 pregnant surrogates go now?

The raid on Sai Kiran Hospital in Hyderabad's Banjara Hills on Saturday unearthed a large-scale illegal surrogacy scam. And while the clinic was promptly shut down, it has made the future uncertain for the 48 pregnant women discovered locked in the clinic's third floor. 

It should be noted that these women only agreed to be pregnant with another person's child because the hospital promised them money and a client somewhere promised to adopt the child. 

Surrogacy was brought under many strict regulations by the Centre earlier this year, putting an end to what was fast becoming a booming business. However, the scam worked by the hospital acting an intermediate between the agent who convinced the women and the families desperate enough to for a child to go for such shady means. 

The raid put an end to all of this, but the surrogate mothers - between seven to nine months pregnant - have nowhere to go. Without the money the hospital was supposed to pay them, or the parents to adopt the child, it is unsure how they should now proceed - either with their own lives or the life of the soon to be born child. They are currently still in the hospital, but they are not expected to stay there for long. 

Speaking to the Deccan Herald, Si Srinivas said: "Each of them had been promised Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh, besides free food, medical aid and a stay at the hospital for nine months,"

When queried by the media, state health authorities suggested that the final decision would be taken by the District Collector. According to a report in the Deccan Chronicle, a majority of the babies were 'intended' for either NRIs or single parents - both categories disallowed by the new rules. 

For now, there seems to be no answer to this question. 

• Sai Kiran Hospital
• Hyderabad
• Illegal Surrogacy