The Story Of A Man Who Carried Twin Inside Him For 36 Years Without Knowing

Sanju Bhagat was born in Nagpur, India, in 1963, and as a young child, he didn't show any signs of having any medical issues or abnormalities.

Life was already challenging for Sanju Bhagat as he struggled to make ends meet and worked on a farm to provide for his family. However, things took a turn for the worse when his stomach began to grow at an alarming rate during his twenties.

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Within his small community, Sanju Bhagat earned the nickname of the "pregnant man" due to his conspicuously large belly, which set him apart from others.

The peculiarity of the situation became even more evident considering the circumstances. Sanju Bhagat's body struggled to obtain sufficient nourishment, making it highly unusual for him to gain weight, let alone develop such a substantial belly.

Despite the continuous mockery and laughter he faced due to his expanding stomach, Sanju Bhagat remained focused on his work and the responsibility of providing for his family. He chose to ignore his family's concerned pleas to seek medical attention and was determined not to take time off from work.

However, the situation reached a critical point where Bhagat could no longer ignore his condition. In 1999, he was urgently admitted to a hospital in Mumbai when the bulge in his abdomen began to exert pressure on his diaphragm, obstructing his ability to breathe. Despite his initial reluctance, the severity of the situation forced him to seek medical help.

Upon observing Sanju Bhagat's significantly enlarged belly, it was not surprising that Dr. Ajay Mehta presumed the presence of a tumor. Consequently, a decision was made to proceed with surgery in order to eliminate the source of the bulge in Bhagat's abdomen.

"Basically, the tumor was so big that it was pressing on his diaphragm and that's why he was very breathless," said Dr. Ajay Mehta of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. "Because of the sheer size of the tumor, it makes it difficult to operate. We anticipated a lot of problems."

During Bhagat's surgery, Dr. Ajay Mehta, who believed he could usually detect tumors early on, encountered an extraordinary situation. As the doctor went deeper into Bhagat's stomach, a large amount of fluid unexpectedly spilled out, leading to a remarkable turn of events.

"To my surprise and horror, I could shake hands with somebody inside," he said. "It was a bit shocking for me."

One doctor recalled that day in the operating room.

"He just put his hand inside and he said there are a lot of bones inside," she said. "First, one limb came out, then another limb came out. Then some part of genitalia, then some part of hair, some limbs, jaws, limbs, hair."

Photo of Sanju Bhagat’s twin brother after the surgery to remove him. Sapna Pabbi

Inside Bhagat's stomach, doctors found a strange, partially developed creature with well-formed hands and feet. Surprisingly, the creature had long fingernails.

"We were horrified. We were confused and amazed," Mehta said.

At first glance, it may appear as though Bhagat had given birth, but in reality, Dr. Mehta had surgically removed the malformed body of Bhagat's twin brother from his stomach. Bhagat was diagnosed with an extremely rare medical condition called "fetus in fetu." 

This abnormality occurs when one fetus becomes trapped inside its twin during early stages of pregnancy. The trapped fetus can survive as a parasitic entity, relying on its twin's blood supply through an umbilical cord-like structure. Eventually, the trapped fetus grows to a size that poses harm to the host, leading to medical intervention.

According to Dr. Mehta, there have been fewer than 90 documented cases of fetus in fetu in medical literature. This anomaly typically occurs during the early stages of twin pregnancy, where one fetus wraps around and encloses the other. The dominant fetus continues to grow, while the enclosed fetus, which would have been its twin, survives by relying on its host twin as a source of nourishment. In most cases, both twins do not survive due to the strain of sharing a placenta.

In Bhagat's unique case, the host twin managed to survive and was delivered. What sets his situation apart is that no one suspected the presence of his twin inside him for 36 years. This discovery makes his case highly unusual and remarkable.

Following the operation, Bhagat expressed a great sense of relief. He did not show interest in knowing the specifics of the procedure performed by Dr. Mehta or examining the contents that were removed from his abdomen.

"He didn't want to see it because it was looking very ghastly," Mehta said.

Contrary to a typical fetus in fetu case involving a shared placenta, Bhagat's condition was unique as there was no placenta present. Instead, the enveloped parasitic twin had directly connected to Bhagat's blood supply. Immediately after the surgery, Bhagat experienced a swift recovery with the disappearance of pain and improved breathing.

While Bhagat's case was regarded as a medical miracle by doctors, it had been a source of shame and misery for him throughout his life. The people in his village incessantly taunted him and cruelly remarked that he looked pregnant. Ironically, they were right in a way.

Today Bhagat is in good health and leads a normal life, but he still gets teased occasionally.

"They still ridicule him. What they say is, you went for an operation and you had the baby," Mehta said.

This wild case fascinated many, with Twitter users in disbelief: “This cannot be real!”

Others write: “So bizarre that it went on for decades.”

And others have found similarities with the pictures of Bhagat: “looks just like me when I’m on my beer-only diet.”