In a disturbing turn of events, two engineers have reportedly died following botched hair transplant procedures at a private clinic by a dentist in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, prompting a police investigation and widespread public outrage.
The dentist, identified as Dr. Anushka Tiwari, was running the Empire Clinic in the Rawatpur area of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, along with her husband, Dr. Saurabh Tripathi. According to police officials familiar with the case, the couple, both of whom hold Bachelor of Dental Surgery degrees, allegedly employed untrained staff to assist with the surgeries.
The first incident came to light when Jaya Tripathi, the wife of 40-year-old Vineet Dubey, lodged a complaint on the chief minister’s portal against Empire Clinic. Tripathi alleged that Dubey underwent a hair transplant on March 13 and developed a severe infection, leading to facial swelling, intense pain, and his death the following day.
Additional DCP West Vijendra Dwivedi confirmed that an FIR was registered on May 9 under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for causing death by negligence. He stated that Dubey likely contracted the infection during the procedure, which went untreated, resulting in a rapid decline in his health.
Following public attention on Dubey’s case, a second similar incident emerged. Kushagra Katiyar filed a complaint with Kanpur Police Commissioner Akhil Kumar, claiming that his 30-year-old brother, Mayank Katiyar, also died after undergoing a hair transplant at the same Empire Clinic.
According to Kushagra, Mayank had the procedure on November 18 last year and returned to his home in Farrukhabad the same day. He later complained of severe chest pain and facial swelling. Despite receiving medical attention and pain relief, his condition worsened and he died the next day while being taken back to Kanpur for further treatment.
Police are currently seeking legal counsel on whether to register a separate FIR in Mayank’s case or to merge it with the one filed by Dubey’s family.
Dr Anushka Tiwari, the primary accused, is currently absconding. Two police teams have been deployed to trace her whereabouts. Authorities have also launched a detailed investigation into the clinic’s operations and potential breaches of medical protocol.