Udupi Doctor Among Four Arrested in Illegal Infant Sale and Birth Certificate Forgery Racket

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Udupi : The Udupi Police have busted an illegal child trafficking racket, arresting four individuals, including a senior gynaecologist, for their involvement in the unlawful sale of a one-month-old female infant. The arrested individuals have been identified as Dr. K. Surendra Kamath (76), a resident of Bannanje and doctor at Kamath Nursing Home; S. Prakash (50), a resident of Rajiv Nagar, Santhekatte Nejar; Sampath (22) from Karkala; and Suprithi (22) from Nandalike in Karkala.

The matter came to light on June 19 when a zonal supervisor from the Brahmavar Child Development Project Officer’s (CDPO) office alerted the District Child Protection Unit. The official reported that a childless couple, Prakash and Purnima, were illegally raising a newborn baby girl named Srinika Prakash at their residence without undergoing any legal adoption procedures. Acting swiftly on the tip-off, child protection and welfare officials visited Prakash’s house, where they discovered the infant in the presence of Purnima’s sister, Lakshmi. When questioned about the baby’s legal documentation, the family members gave highly suspicious and contradictory statements.

Subsequent police investigation revealed that Prakash and Purnima had been married for 11 years without children and were undergoing fertility treatment at Kamath Nursing Home. During this period, Lakshmi learned through a mutual friend that a newborn baby was available at the hospital. The couple then approached Dr. K. Surendra Kamath, who allegedly agreed to circumvent the law and handed over the one-month-old child to them. To legitimize the illegal transaction, the doctor reportedly forged official parental records and fabricated a fake birth certificate identifying the childless couple as the biological parents. During interrogation, the couple claimed they had no knowledge of the infant’s actual biological parents or her true origin.

Law enforcement authorities stated that the accused acted with a common criminal intent for illegal financial gains and conspired to forge government birth records to facilitate the illicit transfer and sale of the minor. Following an initial complaint filed at the Udupi Women’s Police Station, a detailed probe led to the subsequent arrests of Sampath and Suprithi, who were found directly responsible for supplying and handing over the infant to the network. All four accused are currently in police custody and will be produced before a competent local court as the investigation continues to uncover deeper links in the racket.