Biryani for beggars, 1 bottle for daily labourers, and Rs 1000 to Rs 4000 for those who can read partially. The women beggars get Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 for their eggs. This is the scam happening in the name of sperm and egg collection in the city. Childless couples hoping for donations from well-educated and healthy individuals are unknowingly being given sperms and eggs from beggars and daily labourers.
Police recently arrested 7 members of the Indian Sperm Tech Cryosystem Clinic in Secunderabad. Pankaj Soni, the clinic’s owner and operator, reportedly hired agents to help him procure donors. These agents bribed the poor and vulnerable, offering food, alcohol, or small sums of money in exchange for sperm and egg donations, violating medical norms.
According to ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) guidelines, sperm should come from healthy men aged 21 to 55 without genetic or contagious diseases. One donor can donate a maximum of 25 times, and sperm from one donor must only be used once per recipient. However, these regulations were blatantly ignored.
Clinics like Indian Spermtech reportedly collected sperm weekly, compensating male donors with biryani, liquor, or up to Rs 1000. When male beggars brought women along, the clinic would pay them between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 for their eggs. This disturbing practice not only exploited the poor but also posed serious health and ethical risks.
The Gopalapuram police have now filed a petition seeking custody of the accused. The scandal has shocked the public and raised serious questions about how fertility clinics are monitored and regulated in the country.
