Live-in partners, an IVF couple, and the doctor who broke law to connect them

2 min readBengaluruJun 23, 2026 06:53 PM IST

Dr Surendra Kamath, S Prakash and the biological parents, Sampath and Supreethi. (Express photo/Special arrangement)

The Karnataka Police recently arrested a 76-year-old doctor and three others, including the biological parents of a month-old baby girl, in the Udupi district for allegedly orchestrating an illegal adoption through forged documents, completely bypassing the adoption process.

The accused have been identified as Dr K Surendra Kamath, proprietor of Kamath Nursing Home; S Prakash, 50, of Santhekatte; and the biological parents, Sampath, 22, and Supreethi, 22.

Hariram Shankar, Udupi Superintendent of Police, confirmed the arrests following a formal complaint registered at the local women’s police station by an official from the Child Welfare Department.

The Child Welfare Department received a tip-off about an infant being raised illegally at a house in Santhekatte. Acting on the information, authorities visited the residence of S Prakash, where they discovered the month-old baby girl. Under police questioning, Prakash confessed that Dr Kamath had facilitated the illegal adoption.

According to the police, Sampath and Supreethi from the same village had been in a live-in relationship, and the woman gave birth to their baby last month. Fearing social stigma if they raised the child, they sought to give the newborn away and asked Dr Kamath to locate an aspiring family.

Prakash and his wife, who had been childless throughout their 11-year marriage, were visiting Dr Kamath’s nursing home for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments. Knowing that the couple had unsuccessfully registered for official adoption nearly three years prior, Dr Kamath approached them with the proposal.

“Prakash and his wife agreed and adopted the baby illegally,” said a police officer.

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Dr Kamath allegedly falsified hospital medical records to show that the baby was biologically born to Prakash and his wife. To maintain secrecy, he ensured that the adopting parents were unaware of the child’s biological parents, said a police officer.

“We have not arrested Prakash’s wife at this stage, but she is currently being questioned,” a police officer added. Regarding financial transactions, SP Shankar said an investigation is underway to identify any potential money trail.