Doctor, three others held for allegedly selling infant girl through forged documents in Udupi

Created On:  23 June 2026 9:27 AM IST
By The Hans India 

Udupi: In a shocking case of alleged child trafficking, Udupi police have arrested a doctor and three others for illegally handing over a one-month-old baby girl to a childless couple by creating fake birth records and bypassing legal adoption procedures.

The accused are Dr. K. Surendra Kamath, proprietor of Kamath Nursing Home, S. Prakash of Santhekatte, and two others identified as Sampath and Supreethi.

According to Udupi SP Hariram Shankar, the case was detected after officials from the Child Welfare Department received information that a couple was raising an infant without any legally valid adoption documents. A verification drive at their residence raised suspicion, prompting a detailed probe.

Investigators found that Prakash and his wife, who had been married for 11 years without children, were receiving treatment at Kamath Nursing Home. During this period, they allegedly learned about the availability of a baby and approached the doctor for help.

Police alleged that Dr. Kamath agreed to hand over the infant and subsequently arranged forged records showing the child as biologically born to the couple. Using these fabricated documents, a birth certificate was allegedly obtained from the local civic body.

During questioning, the couple reportedly told investigators that they were unaware of the identity of the child’s biological parents. Police suspect the accused acted together with the intention of securing illegal financial benefits by transferring the infant outside the legal adoption framework.

Based on the findings, the Udupi Women Police Station registered a criminal case and arrested all four accused. They have been booked under provisions related to child trafficking, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

The infant has been placed under the care of authorities, while investigators continue efforts to identify the biological parents and determine whether more individuals were involved in the illegal child sale network.