MP woman dies at AIIMS; third from toxic sweet

Nagpur: A 22-year-old woman from Junnardeo in Madhya Pradesh, who had consumed sweets from an unclaimed bag found outside a govt office in Chhindwara district last week, succumbed to suspected food poisoning at AIIMS-Nagpur on Wednesday morning, making her the third casualty in the incident. Last year, 24 children from Chhindwara district had died due to suspected toxicity after consuming a contaminated batch of a cough syrup.
The deceased woman, Khushboo, wife of Akhilesh Kharetwal, was admitted to a private hospital in MP for nearly 6 days after her health deteriorated. Doctors noted uncontrolled blood pressure and severe liver damage. She was referred to AIIMS Nagpur on Tuesday night, but her condition worsened and she died the following morning at 6.30 while undergoing treatment, AIIMS authorities said. Earlier, two elderly men — 53-year-old Dasru Yaduvanshi and 75-year-old Sunderlal Kathuria — died after consuming the same sweets. Dasru, a watchman at the Public Health Engineering (PHE) office, died on Sunday, while Sunderlal passed away on Tuesday during treatment in Chhindwara. Another woman, Santoshi, is undergoing treatment in Chhindwara, while 19-year-old Pooja was discharged after receiving care at a community health centre. The incident dates back to last Friday, when an unclaimed bag containing sweets was found outside the PHE office. Several people reportedly consumed the sweets, unaware that they could be contaminated. An AIIMS official said the woman was admitted around 12.20am on Tuesday. "This is a suspected case of food poisoning with multi-organ failure. An autopsy was conducted and viscera samples were sent for chemical analysis. As per case history, 3 people have died after consuming sweets allegedly brought from a tea shop. Two of them died earlier, while this patient succumbed during treatment at AIIMS-Nagpur," the official said.MP health officials said that autopsy conducted did not conclusively establish the cause of death. "Viscera samples were preserved and sent to the forensic laboratory in Sagar for detailed analysis," they said.Khushboo is survived by her 4-month-old daughter. Her body was taken to her native village, Thawari, for the last rites, as grief enveloped the deceased's family and the local community.