Man caught at Indian airport 'with live human embryo in suitcase'

IVF clinic in Mumbai under investigation for allegedly being part of smuggling ring

A man has been arrested after he was allegedly caught attempting to smuggle a live human embryo into India.

Authorities in the country say they discovered the man, a Malaysian national, carrying the embryo in a special container hidden in his suitcase at Mumbai‘s airport last Friday.

The man reportedly admitted he had previously made several similar smuggling runs.

He then led officials to an IVF clinic in Mumbai which is now being investigated as part of a possible smuggling ring.

The clinic has denied any allegations it is involved in smuggling.

Rebecca Gonsalves, representing the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the agency investigating the alleged smuggling operation, told Mumbai’s high court on Monday that several text messages were found on the man’s phone suggesting the clinic was the intended place of delivery, according to The Times of India.

However, Dr Coral Gandhi, an embryologist who runs the clinic, denied the allegation.

Her lawyer, Sujoy Kantwalla, said she “does not import embryos as part of her business”, the Indian Express reported, and he blamed “a conspiracy hatched by persons which may include competitors”.

It is illegal to import embryos into India without a certificate from the Indian Council of Medical Research.

In Malaysia, IVF is not permitted under Islamic law. Some couples are believed to export their embryos to India for IVF.