The Mumbai police said the relatives did not eat the watermelon that the family ate around 1-1.30 am after the guests left. Representative Image
Hours after hosting a dinner party for relatives at their home Saturday night, four members of a family in South Mumbai died under mysterious circumstances. The police said food poisoning is suspected as a possible cause, and that they have sent the watermelon consumed by the family for forensic testing to check for toxins.
The local J J Marg police have registered an accidental death report and are investigating the matter.
According to the police, Abdullah Dokadia, 40, and his wife, Naseem, 35, and their two daughters, Ayesha, 16, and Zainab, 13, residents of the Moghul Building at Pydhonie, died Sunday.
Pravin Mundhe, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone I, said the family had invited five relatives, including Abdullah’s brother and sister, to their house Saturday night. All nine of them ate dinner at around 10.30 pm, following which the five guests returned home.
Mundhe said the relatives did not eat the watermelon that the family ate around 1-1.30 am after the guests left. Around 5.30–6 am on Sunday, all four began experiencing vomiting and loose motions. They were first attended by the family doctor and then referred to J J Hospital.
While the younger daughter, Ayesha, died at 10.15 am Sunday, the elder one and Naseem also passed away later that day. Abdullah, who owned a mobile accessories shop in Andheri, succumbed at 10.30 pm.
The police also examined the other five guests, but none showed any symptoms. As a result, the dinner shared with the family is not currently suspected of causing the illness.
Rais Shaikh, Senior Inspector, J J Marg Police Station, said they had recorded the statement of Abdullah before he died. Shaikh said he told them that they had a watermelon before going to sleep.
An officer said they had sent the leftover dinner and half a watermelon to the forensic science laboratory in Kalina for testing for any toxic substances. The post-mortem examination was conducted at JJ Hospital, which has reserved its opinion pending the histopathological report.
The J J Marg police said they will wait for the forensic report.
