A father, mother, and their two teenage daughters are dead following a dinner gathering at their home in Mumbai’s Pydhonie area, with authorities investigating a possible case of food poisoning, police said Monday.
The deceased have been identified as Abdullah Dokadia, 40, his wife Nasreen, 35, and their daughters Aisha, 16, and Zainab, 13.
The evening of April 25 began with a family dinner attended by nine people, including relatives who later left. The four victims stayed home after the meal. Sometime between 1am and 1:30am, they reportedly ate watermelon — a detail now central to the investigation.
Symptoms appeared within hours. By 5:30 to 6am on April 26, all four were experiencing vomiting and loose motions. A family doctor was called in first, but as their conditions deteriorated, they were transferred to JJ Hospital.
Zainab, the younger daughter, died at around 10:15am. Her mother Nasreen and elder sister Aisha followed during the course of treatment. Abdullah died later that night at approximately 10:30pm.
Preliminary findings indicate the family had eaten biryani at dinner before consuming the watermelon hours later. Police have collected food samples — including a partially eaten piece of the fruit — as well as biological samples, all sent for forensic and laboratory analysis. Authorities have not ruled out contamination or the presence of toxic substances.
An Accidental Death case has been registered at JJ Marg Police Station. Post-mortem examinations have been completed, but the official cause of death will not be established until histopathological reports — tissue analysis results — are returned.
