MUMBAI: The Saki Naka police on Monday recorded dermatologist Dr Vikas Halwai’s statement after businessman Shrawan Kumar Chaudhary (43), who underwent hair transplant at his Chinchpokli clinic on Thursday, died. The doctor told the cops that Chaudhary insisted on getting 9,250 hair grafts in one sitting but developed complications after 3,700 grafts. Experts say sittings that stretch to more than six hours and over 3,000 grafts in one go are seldom advisable.Dr Halwai, who is MD dermatologist, is believed to have told the cops that Chaudhary underwent all standard preventive checks before the transplant. “He spent most part of Thursday undergoing the tests. The transplant started only in the evening. At 2.30am next day, Chaudhary complained of neck pain and was given painkillers and antibiotics. But he developed breathing difficulty and was taken to Global Hospital, Parel. The hospital asked him to shift to another hospital,” said the police.According to police, Chaudhary called a friend “Shukla”, who shifted him to Hiranandani Hospital on Friday. He succumbed the next day. Chaudhary’s family, who was unaware about the surgery, learnt about his condition only after he was admitted to Hiranandani.DCP Navinchandra Reddy said they found a prescription of Dr Halwai that showed 3,700 out of 9,250 hair grafts were done. The doctor has been summoned on Tuesday. “Opinion on the cause of death has been reserved. The viscera have been sent to the forensic laboratory. Details will be sent to JJ Hospital for an opinion,” he said.The medical community was unanimous in seeking a detailed probe. “Patients often try to pressure doctors to cover large areas in one sitting. We do not plan more than 2500-3000 grafts in one sitting and make sure it is completed in 6-8 hours. Prolonged time and extended anaesthesia can compound problems,” said spokesperson from Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons .“We have qualified but untrained people performing transplants. Homeopaths, dentists and technicians with some experience start performing hair transplants, who may find it difficult to deal with complications,” said Dr Anil Garg of Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons that has 300 members. Sources said Halwai has been doing transplants since the last seven-eight years. TOI tried to contact Halwai, but he remained unreachable.Commenting on the surgery hours, Dr Garg said, “Number of hours depend on individual’s capacity and may not pose a direct risk to life unless the surgery is not done in sterile condition. Individual surgeons can do around 2,000 grafts in one sitting, those with more teams can do up to 4,000,” he said.