In UP, woman dies after two quacks perform abdomen surgery on her watching YouTube

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A 38-year-old woman died after a quack duo attempted a ‘stone surgery’ inside an illegal clinic after watching a YouTube video in UP's Barabanki.

A former village head and his nephew, both without any medical training, allegedly carried out an abdominal surgery on a woman after learning the procedure from YouTube, leading to her death, News18 reported.

The victim, Munishra Rawat, a resident of Saidanpur village in Kotwali Kothi area, had been complaining of abdominal pain. On 5 December, her husband, Fateh Bahadur Rawat, took her to “Shri Damodar Aushadhalay", a clinic run for years by former village head Gyan Prakash Mishra.

Fateh Bahadur was quoted by the channel as saying, “He didn’t conduct any tests. He just touched her stomach and said it was a stone that needed to be removed immediately. He said delaying it could make it fatal."

According to him, Mishra demanded Rs 25,000 for the surgery. “We could arrange only Rs 20,000, but he said it was enough. We trusted him because he was a former pradhan," he added.

Local sources and police officials confirmed that Gyan Prakash and his nephew Vivek Mishra had no medical training. They allegedly watched online surgical videos before attempting the procedure.

During the so-called operation, the duo reportedly made a deep incision in Munishra’s abdomen, cutting through important nerves and blood vessels. “They had no idea where to cut or how to handle bleeding," a villager who saw the aftermath said. “It was clear they were improvising."

Munishra’s condition deteriorated soon after the crude operation. Despite their attempts to “manage" the situation, she died the next evening around 6 pm.

Her death sparked intense anger among villagers. Around 11 pm, family members and locals placed her body on the road and blocked traffic, demanding immediate action against the accused.

“A woman died because two men played doctor after watching YouTube. How long will such clinics be allowed to function," a protesting villager asked.

Police reached the spot and persuaded the crowd to calm down, assuring strict action. The blockade was lifted after several hours, and the body was sent for postmortem. On 7 December, after the report was completed, the family performed the last rites.

Fateh Bahadur alleged that the clinic owner tried to settle the matter quietly.

“He offered us money to close the case," he said. “But how can we settle after losing my wife? We wanted an FIR."

Villagers echoed similar claims, saying Gyan Prakash had been using his influence as a former pradhan and mahant to run the clinic without fear of action.

On the husband’s complaint, police registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Gyan Prakash Mishra and his nephew Vivek Mishra. Inspector Amit Singh Bhadoriya of Kotwali Kothi confirmed the development. “An FIR has been registered under relevant sections. Both accused are absconding, and teams have been deployed to track them down," he said.

Meanwhile, the health department swung into action. On Tuesday, Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Medical Superintendent of the Kothi Community Health Centre, pasted a notice declaring the clinic illegal.