Greater Kailash IVF Mix-Up Probe Stalls As Donors Fail To Provide DNA
A Delhi Police investigation into a couple's allegations of an IVF embryo mix-up at a fertility hospital in Greater Kailash, south Delhi, has stalled because potential donors have not provided DNA samples for testing. The delay comes more than two months after investigators collected DNA samples from the couple, Rahul Rathore (41) and his wife Meenu, and their twin daughters to determine the biological parentage of the children.
The case began in January, shortly after the twin girls were born, when the couple grew suspicious of the children's differing facial features. Private DNA tests conducted by the family allegedly revealed that neither child shared DNA with either parent. Following a court intervention, Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on March 31, naming three doctors and a hospital official. The FIR includes charges related to cheating, criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation, alongside provisions of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Act.
Between April 20 and April 22, police took the couple and the twins to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to collect independent DNA samples. However, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Chanakyapuri has yet to release its final report due to a backlog of cases.
To resolve the biological relationship of the twins, investigators obtained details of potential donors from hospital records and approached two individuals for DNA samples more than a month ago. Neither individual has joined the probe. According to police, these donors are legally entitled to anonymity. If they continue to withhold cooperation, investigators plan to present the available DNA findings directly to the court during trial proceedings.
The investigation is currently examining multiple possibilities. Police are trying to establish whether the twins are biological siblings, half-siblings, or entirely unrelated to each other or the couple. This could involve determining if an embryo mix-up occurred with another couple's embryo, or if donor gametes were used.
The probe is further complicated by conflicting claims. While the Rathores deny consenting to donor sperm or eggs and allege that the consent documents produced by the hospital are forged, hospital officials claim the couple was informed that their own gametes were not viable and consented to using donor material.
Police are currently examining the records of other couples who underwent IVF treatment at the Greater Kailash hospital between May 10 and May 20, 2025, the period when the Rathores underwent treatment and five embryos were implanted.
