Fake surrogacy racketeer arrested

The Nandini Layout police on Saturday arrested a fake surrogacy racketeer from Basaveshwara Nagar. The suspect has been identified as K T Gurumurthy, the owner of Shrushti Global Trust.

According to police, in 2008, Don Bosco and his wife Sarala Devi, who were trying for a baby approached Gurumurthy. He promised them a surrogate mother and took Rs 3.5 lakh and Bosco’s semen, said the police.

Seven months later Gurumurthy called the couple and told them that the baby was delivered and they can take it home. Bosco and his wife were surprised and questioned him that how can a baby be born within seven months. Gurumurthy threatened the couple not to question him and if they want they can take the baby or leave it. But they would not get the cash back.

Inevitably the couple took the baby home believing Bosco to be the biological father. But Devi knew that something was wrong and grew frustrated. Within a couple of years they realised that their baby’s growth was abnormal.

They approached Gurumurthy who again threatened them not to meet him again. The turn of events took a toll on Devi’s health and she expired last year, said a senior police official.

DNA test

A few months after his wife’s death, Bosco took the baby for a DNA test and realised that he was not the biological father. He soon approached senior police officials and lodged a complaint with the Nandini Layout police station, leading to Gurumurthy’s arrest, added the official.

The police added that Gurumurthy has been booked for kidnap, human trafficking, cheating and threatening. The police said they would investigate to know whether the baby was stolen or bought. “The interrogation of Gurumurthy will throw light on the racket and will help us know how many babies were trafficked,” the officer added.