Mumbai, May 07: Forensic examination has confirmed that the Mumbai family of four died of “poisoning”, not watermelon-induced food poisoning. The authorities have found traces of a toxic substance used to kill rats in the bodies of the victim and the samples of the fruit they had consumed. The massive twist in the case came days after their autopsies revealed a green tint in their internal organs, which is consistent with poisoning.
Abdullah Dokadia, 45, his wife Nasreen, 35, and their children, Zainab, 13, and Ayesha, 16, hosted a dinner for their relatives in their Mumbai home and served mutton pulao. The family consumed watermelon at 1 am, hours after their relatives left. By 5 am, all of them developed severe vomiting and diarrhoea and died within hours.
Forensic tests have revealed that all four of them died because of a lethal rodenticide.
Doctors have found traces of Zinc Phosphite, a toxic chemical used in rat poison, in their bodies.
Zinc Phosphite was also found in the samples of the watermelon consumed by the family.
Investigators are now probing whether the chemical contaminated the fruit by accident, or if it was deliberately injected.
Organs Turned Green
Last week, initial forensic tests revealed that some organs of the victims, including the brain, heart, and intestines, had turned green, indicating poisoning. The tests had also found morphine, a potent painkiller usually administered in controlled medical settings, in Abdullah Dokadia’s body. Investigators were examining whether the finding pointed to prior medical intervention, accidental exposure, or something more suspicious.
Police had registered a case of accidental death and recorded the statements of the family’s guests, who consumed the pulao and were unscathed. (Agencies)
