Botched up hair transplant causes brain infection; Doctor booked after techie's death

A 36-year-old engineer from Kanpur, Vineet Dubey, died of a brain infection after undergoing a hair transplant surgery at Empire Clinic, sparking serious questions about medical negligence and clinic malpractice. The family of the deceased has alleged that the surgery was conducted despite Vineet having pre-existing conditions like diabetes and hypertension, without any prior medical evaluation.

Vineet was admitted to the hospital on May 14 and died the following morning on May 15 due to encephalopathy caused by a bacterial infection that reportedly spread to his brain after the procedure. A preliminary probe ordered by the Chief Minister's Office found that the operating doctor, Anushka Tiwari, did not perform the required pre-surgery tests.

Further discrepancies emerged during the investigation. Although the surgery took place at Empire Clinic, Vineet was handed an OPD slip from another facility—Varahi Hair and Aesthetic Center—with a mismatched address in Keshavpuram, Kalyanpur. The prescription mentioned 10 medicines but lacked the doctor’s name. The slip has now been submitted to the authorities for investigation.

Dr Anushka Tiwari is currently under police scrutiny and has applied for anticipatory bail. The clinic, which is registered in her husband Dr Saurabh’s name, has had its license renewal cancelled due to non-compliance with health regulations.

This case follows similar recent incidents in the region where complications from cosmetic procedures led to hospitalisations and even death. The local administration is now collecting documents related to this case and a prior fatality, suggesting a wider crackdown on unsafe cosmetic surgeries in unregulated clinics.