Rat poison ingredient caused deaths of four members of Mumbai family, not watermelon consumption: Official | India News
The death of four members of a family in south Mumbai last month was due to zinc phosphide, a chemical commonly used in rat poison, and not due to consumption of watermelon as initially suspected, PTI quoted officials as saying on Thursday. The chemical was reportedly found in viscera samples from four people.The case came to light in April after a Muslim family consisting of a husband, wife and their two daughters died of suspected food poisoning.Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Pravin Munde said that investigation into the death is on and food and body samples have been collected for post-mortem examination.In a self-recorded video statement issued last month, Munde said the family hosted relatives for a meal on April 25 at their residence.“An unusual death was reported at JJ Marg police station. Four members of a Muslim family – husband, wife and their two daughters – died. On April 25, they invited some relatives to their house and had dinner with them. Around 10-10.30 pm, after eating, the relatives left,” he said.“The family ate watermelon around 1-1.30 pm. Around 5-6 am, they started complaining of vomiting and loose motion. They were rushed to a nearby hospital and all four of them died yesterday,” Munde added.He also said that a postmortem was conducted and samples were collected as part of the investigation.“A post-mortem was conducted, and food samples and samples were also taken from their bodies. Further investigations are on,” he said.Earlier on Wednesday, officials said a post-mortem examination had been conducted and the viscera of the deceased had been preserved for chemical analysis, adding that as part of the investigation, the microbiology department of JJ Hospital submitted a preliminary report to the police saying that no bacterial infection was detected in the victims.“According to the report, no bacterial infection has been detected in the body of the victims so far. No bacteria was found in their blood,” an official said.Officials added that the exact cause of death will be determined after the forensic science laboratory submits the final report. “The report will also clarify whether any food consumed by the family members contained anything poisonous,” the official added.
