Medics operating to remove a "tumour" from a baby were astonished to discover it was actually the child's twin inside his tummy.
The three-month-old baby was admitted to hospital for treatment for a kidney mass after his parents noticed his stomach was swelling up.
But when they operated they found a two pound parasite twin - complete with eyes and skin - which was feeding off the baby.
The condition is known as "foetus in fetu" is caused by the incomplete separation of twins, which fails to grow and instead becomes an internal part of the healthy twin.
It is believed there are only 200 reported cases of the rare condition worldwide.
Dr SP Sharma, who cared for the baby, said: “The baby was wrongly diagnosed with a tumour.
“We were surprised and shocked to see a malformed foetus inside his stomach.
“We have successfully operated to remove the parasite twin out of his body.
“The baby is recovering well after the operation.
“He has been shifted to ICU.
“We hope to discharge him some time by the end of this week.”
Parents Ranjubala and Satyendra Yadav from Bhabhua district in Bihar, India, noticed their baby - who they have not named - had a painful swollen stomach.
The couple consulted local doctors who said it was a urine problem and others who said it was a tumour.
Baffled, they visited Banaras Hindu University Medical College and Hospital in Uttar Pradesh, where medics found the twin and successfully operated.
Dad Satyendra, a farmer said: “We were blessed with a baby four years after our marriage but we were always living in fear that the baby might not live long as his condition started worsening within days after birth.
“I see these doctors here as the living incarnation of God.
“They have not only cured our baby and rid us of all our pains too.”
SWNS
