Docs Remove Mobile Phone from Prisoner’s Stomach

A 38-year-old serving a life sentence in Shivamogga district prison recently sought medical attention for abdominal pain. Parashuram, a resident of Shivamogga, was initially admitted to McGann Hospital before being transferred to Victoria Hospital, Bengaluru, due to persistent discomfort.

Upon conducting an ultrasound scan, doctors at Victoria Hospital made a startling discovery—a foreign object lodged in Parashuram’s stomach. To their amazement, they extracted a small keypad mobile phone from his abdomen, leaving him in good health post-operation.

A member of the surgical team, specializing in laparoscopic procedures, revealed that Parashuram had been admitted about 20 days prior. The patient had ingested a remarkably small Chinese mobile device, which had become lodged at the pylorus, the point where the stomach connects to the small intestine.

Despite initial attempts to retrieve the device using endoscopy, only the battery and back cover were successfully removed. Consequently, surgeons performed an exploratory laparotomy and gastrostomy, a 75-minute procedure involving an incision into the stomach to extract the foreign object.

Following surgery, Parashuram remains hospitalized for his stitches to heal before returning to Shivamogga prison. A senior prison official disclosed that they have filed a complaint with the Tunganagar police station against Parashuram for smuggling the mobile phone into the facility.

Routine barracks raids are conducted to curb illicit items, with mobile phones often hidden in various locations. However, in this instance, Parashuram resorted to swallowing the device, evading detection until his health became compromised.