Udupi: Doctor, couple and man arrested in alleged illegal adoption and infant trafficking case

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Jun 22, 2026: Udupi police have arrested four persons, including a doctor, in connection with the alleged illegal sale and transfer of a one-month-old baby girl.

The arrested include Dr. K. Surendra Kamath (76), a physician attached to Kamat Nursing Home in Udupi, and S. Prakash (50), a resident of Rajeev Nagar, Nejaru, Santhekatte. Subsequently, two more accused — Sampath (22), son of Srinivasa Sooda of Karkala, and Suprithi (22), daughter of late Suresh from Kedinje Post in Nandalike, Karkala — were also arrested for allegedly handing over the infant.

According to police, on June 19, officials from the Brahmavar Child Development Project Office informed the Child Protection Unit that a couple, Prakash and his wife Poornima, were allegedly raising a one-month-old baby girl without completing any legal adoption procedures.

Acting on the information, officials from the Child Protection Unit, along with supervisory staff from the Child Development Project Office, visited the couple’s residence in Nejaru. During the inspection, the infant was found at the house along with Poornima’s sister, Lakshmi. When questioned, the couple reportedly gave inconsistent and suspicious explanations regarding the child.

Further inquiry revealed that Prakash and Poornima had been married for 11 years and had no children. The couple had reportedly been undergoing fertility treatment at Kamat Nursing Home in Udupi.

Police investigations alleged that Lakshmi had come to know through a friend that a newborn baby was available at the hospital. The couple subsequently approached Dr. Surendra Kamath and requested that the infant be handed over to them.

According to the complaint, the doctor agreed to the request and transferred the one-month-old baby girl to the couple. Investigators further alleged that a birth certificate was later created in the child’s name, falsely listing Prakash and Poornima as the biological parents.

During questioning, the couple reportedly told investigators that they did not know the biological parents of the infant and had no information about the child’s origin.

Police have alleged that the accused acted with a common intention to obtain unlawful gain and conspired to facilitate the illegal transfer and sale of the child by creating forged birth records and falsifying parental details.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Udupi Women Police Station. During the course of the investigation, police arrested Sampath and Suprithi on charges of handing over the infant. The accused have been taken into custody and will be produced before the competent court.

Further investigation is underway.