Man spikes food with poison after niece marries against his wishes in Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: A man allegedly gate-crashed his niece's wedding reception in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district and poisoned the food prepared for the guests as he opposed her marriage, according to police on Wednesday.

However, no one consumed the contaminated food, and samples have been sent for testing, they added. The accused is currently absconding.

The incident occurred in Utre village, under Panhala tehsil, on Tuesday afternoon. Some people caught hold of the accused, but he managed to run away, they said.

A case has been registered against the accused, identified as Mahesh Patil, a resident of Utre village and maternal uncle of the bride, on charges of endangering lives, according to sub-inspector Mahesh Kondubhairi of Panhala police station.

The woman had reportedly been brought up in the accused’s household.

"She recently eloped with a man from the village and married him. Patil disapproved of the marriage and therefore gate-crashed the wedding reception at a marriage hall on Tuesday. He mixed a poisonous substance into the food being prepared for the guests," Kondubhairi explained.

While Patil was in the act of tampering with the food, those nearby attempted to stop him and briefly restrained him. However, he managed to flee the scene.

"An offence has been registered against him under sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substances), 125 (acts endangering life or personal safety of others), and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)," the official stated.

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend Patil, police confirmed.

Fortunately, no one consumed the food containing the poison. Samples of the contaminated food have been sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis, they added.