BRASILIA (Reuters) - A plastic surgeon known as “Dr. Bumbum” or “Dr. Butt” on social media because of his buttock-enhancement operations was arrested on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, four days after one of his patients died, police said. Police in Rio de Janeiro said on their website that they had been searching for Denis Furtado since Sunday when his patient Lilian Calixto, a 46-year-old bank manager, died at a hospital where Furtado had taken her after a procedure. Local media reported that the hospital said Calixto arrived with tachycardia, an abnormally fast heart rate, after having silicone injected into each buttock. Police said Furtado and his mother, who is also a doctor, were arrested in an office in a business center in the Barra de Tijuca beachside neighborhood of Rio in connection with the woman’s death. It was not clear if they had been charged with any crime. Furtado’s lawyer, Naiara Baldanza, said at a news conference in Brasilia on Wednesday that her client was innocent and had not turned himself in to police because he was in a panic. In a video posted on social media after his arrest on Thursday, Furtado called the woman’s death a “fatal accident,” saying he had performed 9,000 such procedures and that they were legal in Brazil. Furtado’s plastic surgery work turned him into a celebrity. He had a massive following on social media, including 645,000 followers on Instagram, where he posted photos of before and after operations.<doc-sep>Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - A Brazilian celebrity butt-enhancement surgeon known as Dr. Bumbum was arrested Thursday over the death of a patient in a botched operation after spending four days on the run. Police said on Twitter that the doctor, who performed the operation in his own apartment, was arrested in Rio. Denis Furtado, who calls himself Dr. Bumbum on social media, was arrested in an office building thanks to a tip from an anonymous telephone caller, police said. His mother, accused of being an accomplice, was also arrested. Furtado was considered capable of performing magic on women's bodies, in particular their bottoms, and became known throughout the country for his expertise. The 45-year-old's Instagram account reflects his popularity with 650,000 followers. But he had been on the run since Sunday over the death of a bank employee named Lilian Quezia Calixto, who perished hours after a butt enlargement procedure at Furtado's home in the swanky Barra de Tijuca neighborhood of Rio. Calixto had travelled 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) from her home to see the surgeon. She underwent surgery Saturday and started feeling sick soon thereafter. Upon arriving at hospital on Sunday, she was suffering from a racing heart-beat and hypertension, and after four heart attacks she died. Soon after, Furtado disappeared. He now faces charges of homicide and criminal association. Furtado used a controversial technique in his butt improvement surgery, injecting a substance called acrylic glass. The news has caused shockwaves throughout the industry -- Brazil is second only to the United States for the number of plastic surgeries carried out. The Brazilian Plastic Surgery Society (SBPC) was quick to denounce Furtado, saying "the growing invasion of non-specialists in the specialty has provoked more and more fatalities like this one." "You cannot perform plastic surgery inside an apartment. Many people are selling a dream, a fantasy to patients in an unethical way and people, weakened, are often attracted to low prices, without considering whether or not the conditions are adequate," SBPC president Niveo Steffen told AFP. Steffen said the injection of synthetic biopolymers or polymers, like acrylic glass, is very dangerous and has caused dozens of deaths among women in Latin America, especially in Venezuela.<doc-sep>Brazilian police have arrested celebrity plastic surgeon Denis Furtado, aka “Dr Bumbum”, five days after he went on the run following the death of a patient whose buttocks he had enhanced. Mr Furtado was arrested at an office complex in Rio de Janeiro’s Barra de Tijuca neighbourhood on Thursday, along with his mother, Maria de Fatima Barros, who worked with him. Other reports suggested she had been arrested earlier in the week. Police said the plastic surgeon performed a buttock enhancement procedure on bank manager and mother-of-two Lilian Calixto at his home in Rio on Saturday. Recommended Cosmetic surgeon known as Dr Bumbum on the run after patient dies He now faces murder charges while his mother is accused of being an accomplice. Ms Calixto, 46, fell ill during the procedure and Furtado rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she died hours later, after he had disappeared – prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest. Police say the exact cause of her death has not been determined. Local media reported that the hospital said Ms Calixto arrived with tachycardia, an abnormally fast heart rate, after having silicone injected into each buttock. The procedure is also believed to involve the injection of acrylic glass filler. Inside a police station on Thursday, Furtado told reporters he was innocent. ”There was an occurrence with the patient,” he said. In a video posted on Instagram – where he has more than 600,000 followers – after his arrest on Thursday, Furtado said the woman’s death was an accident and that he had performed 9,000 such procedures – which are legal in Brazil. “A fatality has occurred – a fatality that could happen to any doctor,” he said. The doctor’s lawyer, Naiara Baldanza, said in a statement that “any conclusion regarding the death of Lilian Calixto and my client’s responsibility in this fatality is premature”. She also claimed that the reason Furtado had not turned himself in to police is because he was in a panic. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire.<doc-sep>
Police in Brazil have arrested a celebrity plastic surgeon who went on the run after one of his patients died following an operation at his home. Denis Furtado, known as Dr Bumbum amassed 650,000 Instagram followers by posting pictures of his work, with the 45-year-old renowned in his home country for "performing magic" on women's bodies - notably their bottoms. Image: Denis Furtado went by the moniker of Dr Bumbum. Pic: Facebook But he went on the run following the death of Lilian Quezia Calixto, who underwent a procedure for the enhancement to her buttocks at his lavish apartment in the swanky neighbourhood of Barra de Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro. She had travelled more than 1,200 miles from the city of Cuiaba to see Furtado, who is believed to have used a controversial acrylic glass filler. Image: The procedure was carried out at the surgeon's apartment in Barra da Tijuca. Pic: Barrazine Da Barra/Wikimedia Commons Police say Dr Furtado was arrested in Rio following a tip-off. At a news conference at the police station where he is being held he protested his innocence. "I have never had a complication (with a patient) and I don't believe that this was the first one," he said. Dozens of deaths among women in Latin America have been put down to the use of synthetic polymers such as the one Dr Furtado is alleged to have used. Ms Calixto - a bank manager - began to feel unwell after the injection on Saturday and was admitted to hospital with a fast heart-rate, after which she suffered several heart attacks and died in the early hours of Sunday. Image: Furtado had around 650,000 Instagram followers. Pic: Facebook Dr Furtado has been denounced by the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery, with its president admitting that the country - which is second only to the US for the number of procedures carried out - has a problem. Niveo Steffen, himself a renowned plastic surgeon, told AFP: "The growing invasion of non-specialists in the speciality has provoked more and more fatalities like this one. "You cannot perform plastic surgery inside an apartment. "Many people are selling a dream, a fantasy to patients in an unethical way and people, weakened, are often attracted to low prices, without considering whether or not the conditions are adequate."