Bangladeshi 'Tree Man' dreams of cure as rare skin disease returns with growth in new parts of body
Dhaka, Jan 22: A Bangladeshi dubbed "Tree Man" because of bark-like growths on his skin will need aggressive surgery to remove them, doctors said Tuesday, after dozens of attempts failed to cure the extremely rare genetic condition.
It is believed fewer than half a dozen people worldwide have "tree-man syndrome" - epidermodysplasia verruciformis - but the condition is particularly aggressive in Abul Bajandar, who has already undergone 25 bouts of surgery since 2016 to remove the greenish-grey gnarled protuberances from his skin.
The former rickshaw puller, whose case has made headlines around the world, has not worked in years because the growths have left him unable to use his hands.
More than once, doctors believed the 28-year-old was cured, hailing their treatment as a milestone in medical history.
But the growths kept returning.
The former rickshaw puller has been unable to work in years because the growths on his hands.
Most recently, in May, the condition flared up on parts of his body previously spared and he fled the Dhaka Medical College Hospital without notifying staff.
"The growths have sprouted even in new parts of my feet and hands. I made a mistake leaving the hospital, but I hope doctors will be able to cure me fully this time," Bajandar told AFP on Monday.
Once-optimistic doctors concede his case is more complicated than previously thought, and are considering treatment options.
More tests have been ordered and an emergency panel of doctors convened but Bajandar is almost certainly facing a 26th round of invasive surgery to cut away the growths, his medical team said.
"His condition has deteriorated, and I think more surgeries will be required," Samanta Lal Sen, the head plastic surgeon at the hospital, said.
The condition has left Bajandar's family - he has a wife and young daughter - destitute and he is treated free of charge by doctors at the hospital, which is the top medical facility in the Bangladeshi capital.
His plight has captured hearts around the world, and the government has ordered he receive the best care.
Despite the rarity of his condition, he is not alone in Bangladesh.
The same Dhaka hospital also treated a young Bangladeshi girl suffering from the condition in 2017.
Doctors also declared that surgery a success but her father later said the growths returned in even greater numbers. The family halted treatment and returned to their village.
Bajandar does not want to return home, and is desperate for a cure.
"I have received love of the countrymen and our prime minister," he said. "I strongly believe someday I will be able to live like a normal man.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
