Hair transplant turns deadly for two Kanpur engineers — what went wrong?

Kanpur: Two engineers lost their lives after allegedly undergoing a hair transplant at a private clinic in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur. What started as a routine cosmetic procedure, and usually perceived by many as harmless and quick, took a fatal turn for the two men, who died within 24 hours of their treatment.

The two engineers, Vineet Dubey, an assistant engineer at Panki Power Plant, and Mayank Katiyar, an engineer from Farrukhabad, had gone to Dr Anushka Tiwari's clinic, Empire. Following the deaths, the doctor went missing and the clinic was found shut with display boards removed.

What exactly happened to the engineers?

The harrowing incident came to light after Vineet Dubey's wife, Jaya Tripathi, filed a complaint against the clinic on the chief minister's portal.

Jaya, in her complaint, said that her husband's face had become grotesquely swollen, and he was in unbearable pain in the hours leading up to his death on March 14, just a day after undergoing the hair transplant at Tiwari's clinic.

Additional DCP West Vijendra Dwivedi, investigating the case, told news wire PTI that an infection is believed to have developed during the procedure and was left untreated, leading to a rapid deterioration of his condition and subsequent death.

The other victim's brother also told reporters about similar symptoms, stating that Mayank Katiyar had undergone surgery on November 18 in the Empire clinic. Hours later, he complained of chest pain and swelling and died the very next day.

FIR against the doctor

Based on Vineet Dubey's wife's complaint, an FIR was lodged on May 9 under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita's section 106(1), for causing death by negligence. To date, the police have issued six notices to Tiwari, but she has not responded, ACP Kalyanpur Abhishek Pandey told Bhaskar English.

Was the doctor qualified to perform hair transplant?

As per medical guidelines, only qualified dermatologists or plastic surgeons are authorised to perform hair transplants. Surprisingly, Tiwari holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from Manav Rachna Dental College in Faridabad—a credential that confirms her dental training.

According to Bhaskar English, Tiwari has never shown any certification in hair transplantation.

What do previous patients say?

A person named Ramji Sachan, who had undergone a hair transplant at the same clinic and survived, claimed that his treatment lasted 5-6 hours, and he too had experienced swelling and pain.

Sachan also told Bhaskar English that he had paid in advance, but the prescription he got from Empire lacked the doctor’s name and medical registration.

Panel set up for investigation

Kanpur’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Hari Dutt Negi, has set up a three-member committee to investigate the clinic. The panel will examine how the clinic operated, how many patients it treated, and whether the surgeries were performed by qualified professionals.