Sahar police in Mumbai have cracked down on a major international surrogacy racket. The operation involved sending unmarried women abroad with forged marriage documents to donate eggs in foreign countries.
How the Racket Operated
Indian law clearly states that only married women can donate eggs, and that too for altruistic reasons. The police detained an unmarried resident from Thane who had donated eggs multiple times in various countries for money. She visited an IVF clinic in Andheri and other facilities abroad.
The agent, a Kalyan resident who organized these trips and deals, was also arrested. This individual coordinated the entire process, ensuring women traveled with fake paperwork.
The Discovery at Mumbai Airport
Authorities uncovered the racket on Friday when two women arrived from Bangkok. Immigration officials at Mumbai International Airport found their answers unsatisfactory during questioning.
First, officials stopped Sunoti Belel, aged 44, around 1:30 PM. Thirty minutes later, Seema Vinzarat, 29, from Thane, arrived at the same counter. Both women had just returned from Bangkok.
During interrogation, it emerged that Vinzarat accompanied Belel to Bangkok for advanced diagnostic tests required before egg donation. Vinzarat received a substantial payment for her role.
The Key Players and Their Setup
Belel operates alongside her accomplice, Sangita Bagul. Together, they established an IVF center in Thane in 2024. They created fake marriage documents to bypass legal hurdles when sending egg donors overseas.
The duo set up an agency named Elite Care in Thane. Through this agency, they supplied egg donors and surrogate mothers to fertility centers both in India and abroad.
Legal Violations
The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 mandates specific conditions for egg donation in India. A woman must be married and have at least one child of her own. The Act strictly bans commercial surrogacy, permitting only altruistic surrogacy where the surrogate receives no payment beyond medical expenses and insurance.
This racket blatantly violated these provisions by organizing commercial egg donations using unmarried women.
Immigration Officer's Suspicion
In the official complaint, immigration officer Vaibhav Bhosale noted his suspicions. When he asked Belel about her purpose for traveling to Bangkok, she failed to provide satisfactory answers. He referred her to the wing in-charge for further questioning.
Vinzarat also arrived from Bangkok and similarly could not give a clear explanation. Further questioning revealed that Belel took Vinzarat to Bangkok for pre-donation tests.
Vinzarat's History
Vinzarat stated she connected with Bagul in 2022. Through this agent, she sold her eggs at an Andheri hospital in 2023. Her international trips included visits to Myra Clinic in Kenya in 2024, Miracle Clinic in Kazakhstan in February 2025, and Takara Clinic in Thailand in January to sell her eggs.
However, on her last visit, she could not sell her eggs due to medical reasons.
Police Investigation
The police team seized data from the accused's electronic gadgets at their Thane office. They are currently checking for other women who might have been sent abroad using fake marriage certificates.
Authorities continue to search for a third woman, reportedly another agent involved in the racket. The investigation remains active as police piece together the full extent of this illegal operation.
