A woman in northern India has died after an unlicensed practitioner allegedly attempted to perform surgery while watching a YouTube tutorial and drinking alcohol, police said.
The incident occurred in Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, where the man failed to remove the woman’s kidney stones and instead caused fatal internal injuries. The victim, identified as Munishra Rawat, was taken to an unauthorized clinic on December 5 after experiencing severe stomach pain. Her husband, Fateh Bahadur, brought her to Shri Damodar Aushadhalaya, a clinic allegedly run by Gyan Prakash Mishra and his nephew, Vivek Mishra.
Police say Mishra diagnosed Rawat with kidney stones and offered to operate for 20,000 rupees (about $220), reduced from an initial quote of 25,000 rupees. Investigators allege he performed the surgery while intoxicated, cutting nerves in her stomach, small intestine, and esophagus. Rawat later died from her injuries.
Bahadur told The Indian Express that Mishra claimed the condition had worsened and required urgent surgery, assuring him that other doctors would assist. No one else arrived. “He did the surgery himself, saying he learned it from social media,” Bahadur said. Police allege Mishra followed a YouTube tutorial during the procedure.
Authorities say the clinic was operating illegally and that both men fled after Rawat’s death. She is survived by her husband and three young children. Following a complaint, police inspected the clinic, ordered a post-mortem examination, and shut the facility down. Senior police official Amit Singh Bhaduria confirmed the closure.
Gyan Prakash Mishra and Vivek Mishra have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, along with violations under India’s SC/ST Act.
The case follows other viral incidents involving medical workers relying on online tutorials during procedures, including a 2023 case where a doctor was filmed watching a how-to video before treating a patient’s ankle, and another where a dentist abroad reportedly consulted YouTube mid-treatment.