A family of four including two minor girls died after falling seriously ill following a meal at their home in south Mumbai the police said on Monday. As per reports the incident is suspected to be a case of food poisoning which is possibly linked to watermelon consumed after dinner.
The deceased have been identified as Abdullah (40), his wife Nasrin (35) and their daughters Zainab (13) and Ayesha (16) and according to police the family had hosted a small get-together at their residence in the JJ Marg area on April 25 and during the gathering they served chicken pulao to guests. Officials said that none of the guests who ate the food reported any health issues however after the guests left the family reportedly ate watermelon and soon after all four members began experiencing severe vomiting and giddiness.
They were first taken to a nearby private hospital but as their condition worsened they were shifted to Sir JJ Hospital for further treatment and despite medical efforts all four died on Sunday and Abdullah was the last to pass away around 10:30 pm. Doctors who first attended to the family said they were in a critical condition, with symptoms including heavy vomiting and diarrhoea.
Police officials said that based on initial findings the case appears to be food poisoning possibly caused by the watermelon as only the four family members who consumed it fell ill and a post-mortem has been conducted and samples have been sent for further testing to confirm the exact cause of death. The leftover watermelon has also been sent to a laboratory for examination.
Police have registered a case of accidental death and said that further investigation is ongoing and experts say that although rare fruits like watermelon can sometimes cause food poisoning if they are contaminated and due to their high water and sugar content bacteria can grow quickly if the fruit is not stored properly or is already infected. There have also been reports in some cases of fruits being injected with sugar solutions to enhance sweetness which can pose health risks if not handled safely.