Indian TV Star Chethana Raj Dead At 21 After Fat Removal Surgery Gone Wrong

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

A young TV star went under the knife and tragically never came back.

According to reports, Chethana Raj (above) went to a private hospital in Bengaluru, India for a fat removal surgery and died within hours — all because of the hospital’s negligence, her family claims.

The 21-year-old reportedly went with her friends to Dr. Shetty’s Cosmetic Clinic for a cosmetic surgery without her parents knowing. Her friend allegedly signed the consent form before the starlet was taken into surgery; shortly after the procedure, Raj’s lungs reportedly filled up with fluid. She died of a cardiac arrest soon after.

The actress’ parents filed a medical negligence case against the doctors of the hospital, which has been shut. Vinayak Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North Division, Bengaluru, said of the police complaint:

“This is a medical negligence case. An unnatural death report is awaited, and a case has been registered against Dr Shetty’s Cosmetic Centre over suspicion of her death. We have registered a case, however no arrests have been made yet, because action will be initiated after the medical report is submitted.”

Raj’s parents say the procedure was done in an ICU that lacked proper facilities, and claim the hospital violated rules by not taking parental consent before performing it.

The actor’s father, Varadaraju, said:

“Without any precautions, they conducted this surgery. The doctors should have suggested a surgery only if there was a real need for removal of fat. It was her friend who signed the consent form before she was taken into surgery.”

Her uncle suggested the entertainment industry’s unrealistic beauty standards are largely to blame for the tragedy, noting:

“Someone told her to reduce her weight, so she went to Shetty Hospital do a fat reduction surgery. They don’t have an ICU but did the surgery. Fluid entered her respiratory tract, and her friend was told she had suffered a cardiac arrest.”

The actress’ grandmother, Narayanamma, said Raj was willing to do whatever it took to become a star, telling press:

“She had borrowed money, pawned our jewelry for the surgery, in the hope of becoming a star. We even tried to reason with her and told her we would talk to the doctors. But she insisted she and her friends would get it done. Now look what happened.”

Doctors reportedly tried to revive the actress through CPR for 45 minutes but weren’t able to do so. After they realized she was unresponsive, Raj was rushed to nearby Kaade Hospital where doctors there were forced to treat her. The Kaade hospital said its doctors were pressured to violate protocol for a patient who was brought in dead.

Raj was known for her roles in daily soaps like Geetha and Doresani. Our hearts go out to her loved ones.

[Image via Chethana Raj/Instagram]