Mystery over death of 4 of Mumbai family hours after having watermelon

MUMBAI: A Saturday night feast turned tragic when four members of a family - two sisters and their parents - died within hours of eating a watermelon. While five other relatives had shared biryani-pulao with them at 10.30pm, and reported no symptoms, the fruit was consumed only by the four around 1am Sunday, said police.

The deceased Bhendi Bazaar residents are Abdulla Dodakia (44), who owned a mobile phone accessories shop in Andheri, his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zainab (12). Doctors at JJ Hospital, where three of the victims received treatment, are just as puzzled. They said it is "very unlikely" that a stale watermelon could cause four deaths at such close intervals and that all medical efforts would fail to save them. The spate of deaths began around 10.30am with Zainab, then Nasreen three hours later, Ayesha around 5.15pm and Abdulla about 10.15pm.

A doctor involved in their care at JJ Hospital said the three had symptoms typical of food poisoning and their kidneys were severely impacted. JJ Marg police have registered four cases of accidental deaths, with investigation ongoing. They said Abullah's brother and other relatives live close by and all had left for their houses soon after the feast. "The statements of Abdullah and Ayesha were recorded. They said they experienced vomiting and diarrhoea after eating the watermelon. No foul play is suspected as of now. Postmortem and forensic reports are awaited," said a police officer. Samples of the watermelon have been sent for testing.

Both sisters were waiting for their exam results; Ayesha was expected to clear Class X with flying colours, and Zainab was all set to join Class IX, police said. Between 5am and 5.30am Sunday, all four started reporting symptoms of vomiting with severe discomfort.

The family lived on the second floor of Mughal Building in Ghati Gali. Chaos erupted on their floor between 9.30am to 10am Sunday, prompting neighbours to call in fourth-floor homeopath, Zaid Qureshi, who said Zainab had froth in her mouth and her pulse could not be detected, and the other three family members were semi-conscious. TOI attempted to reach him to no avail till press time.

One after the other, neighbours took the family members to hospital. They were taken to Saboo Siddique Hospital where Zainab was declared dead. Abdulla and Nasreen were transferred to JJ Hospital, followed by Ayesha. Dr Sanjay Surase, medical superintendent at the hospital, said, "It' is very unlikely a stale watermelon can be this fatal. There could be some additives or something else altogether. At this point, we are not ruling out any possibility."

Nasreen died just two hours after admission. "We tried everything, and the strongest antibiotics were administered,” said a doctor at the emergency ward. Ayesha was shifted to medical intensive care unit (ICU), followed by her father. They died roughly five hours apart.

There is much speculation even within the medical community on what could have happened, but at this point, no one has the answers. Forensic doctors said samples of gastric lavage (stomach wash) and viscera have been preserved for further analysis.

The family was buried at the Marine Lines Bada Qabarastan on Monday. The relatives did not wish to speak.

Even as watermelons disappeared in parts of Bhendi Bazaar on Monday afternoon as the news of the family deaths spread widely, doctors called it a safe fruit: It is a summer favourite as it considered to be a hydrating fruit, consisting of over 90% water. Dr Akash Shukla, head of the gastroenterology department at KEM Hospital, Parel, was categorical that a watermelon, even if stale, is unlikely to cause deaths. While there have been rare instances in the medical history of “bitter-tasting cucumbers” causing fatalities, he said there is no cause for panic over watermelons.

(With inputs from Rachael Varghese)


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