Udupi: Doctor Arrested in Baby Trafficking, Illegal Adoption Scandal

DHNS Last Updated : 22 June 2026, 17:28 IST

Based on a complaint filed by the Child Protection Officer, the Women’s Police Station registered a case under Sections 143(4), 61, 318(2) read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

Udupi: The Women’s Police Station in Udupi has registered a case and arrested four persons, including a doctor, for their alleged involvement in an illegal adoption and child trafficking case involving a one-month-old baby girl.

According to Udupi SP Hariram Shankar, on June 19, a supervisor from the Brahmavar Child Development Project Office alerted the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) that a couple from Nejaru in Santhekatte, identified as Prakash and Poornima, were allegedly raising a one-month-old baby girl without any legal adoption procedures.

Acting on the information, the Child protection officer, officials from the Child Protection Unit, along with a supervisor from the Brahmavar Child Development Project Office, visited the couple’s residence in Subramanya Nagar, Santhekatte. During the inspection, the couple, the infant identified as Shreenika Prakash, and Poornima’s sister Lakshmi were present. The officials reportedly found inconsistencies and suspicious statements in their explanations.

Further investigation revealed that Prakash and Poornima had been married for 11 years and had been undergoing fertility treatment at a nursing home in Udupi as they failed to have a child. During this period, Lakshmi allegedly learned through a friend that a baby was available at the hospital. The couple then approached the hospital and requested a child from the attending doctor. 

Police said that the accused doctor, Dr K Surendra Kamath, allegedly handed over the baby girl to the couple about a month ago and facilitated the issuance of a birth certificate in their names. The couple reportedly obtained the birth certificate from the Udupi City Municipal Council and admitted that they had no knowledge of the child’s biological parents or background. They also informed the investigators that they possessed no information about the infant’s background.

Investigators alleged that the accused conspired for unlawful gain by creating forged birth and parents records and illegally transferring the infant, amounting to child trafficking.

Based on a complaint filed by the Child Protection Officer, the Women’s Police Station registered a case under Sections 143(4), 61, 318(2) read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The SP said the arrested had been identified as Dr K Surendra Kamath (76), a resident of Bannanje, Udupi, S Prakash (50), a resident of Rajiv Nagar, Nejaru in Mooduthonse, Sampath (22), tThe SP said the investigation was in progress.

Published 22 June 2026, 17:28 IST