Radiologist, nurse held for cheating couple

GUNTUR: A week after closing down the test tube baby centre following allegations of cheating couple, the Guntur police nabbed two staff members working with Srusti IVF centre in Vijayawada on Monday.
A team headed by CCS DSP M Ravindra Babu said radiologist Jhansi and nurse Manjula were arrested at Vijayawada centre. He said that the main accused in the case, P Namratha, chief of the test tube baby centre, was still at large and special teams were searching for the fertility consultant.He said she would be nabbed in a couple of days.
The accused were booked under section 420 of IPC for cheating a couple from Kantheru village of Pedakakani mandal. The victim, Srilakshmi, in her complaint had alleged that doctors at test tube baby centre collected Rs 4 lakh assuring that she would conceive a male child before beginning the treatment.
The couple, who have three girl children, approached the test tube centre in the hope of getting a male child through IVF technology.
After a few months of treatment, the IVF consultants found Srilakshmi carrying a female foetus and recommended termination. Subsequently, the doctors demanded another lakh to retry the technology to enable her to conceive a male child.
Meanwhile, Srilakshmi developed health complications and took over six months for recovery. Later, the couple demanded refund of the fee paid by them as Srilakshmi did not conceived a male child as promised by the doctors.
With the doctors not responding to their pleas, the victim approached the police last week following which the Srusthi IVF centre was closed both in Guntur and Vijayawada. While police booked a case under section 420 of IPC, the district collector asked district medical and health officer (DHMO) M Gopi Naik to lodge a separate complaint under PC and PNDT (Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act.