Mumbai mystery deaths hit watermelon sales, vendors say buyers returning fruit 

Not everyone, however, is worried. Abdul Rahim, a vendor, said his business is not affected: “Many people are eating watermelons. We are eating them too.” Shehenshah, another vendor, said his loyal customers had assured him. “Those who eat watermelons are still eating them,” he said. 

At the Byculla Fruit Market, about 3 km from Pydhonie, most fruit sellers said they are facing losses in the sale of watermelons. Nassrudin, a vendor, said the watermelon could not have played any role in the deaths and that what they ate earlier could be the problem. He said people are scared to buy watermelons after the incident.

Qureshi, another fruit seller, said his sales are down. He said people were even returning watermelons they bought earlier. Qureshi said misinformation on social media has stoked public fears. 

In fact, officials of the state Food and Drug Administration are struggling to find watermelons in the Pydhonie area where the deaths occurred. Officials said they have not found a single vendor selling watermelon in the neighbourhood since Sunday, when the deaths occurred. “This is a bizarre case. We have never seen anything like this before. To understand it, we reviewed past FDA records to check for any instances of food poisoning linked to watermelon, or even a combination of biryani and watermelon, but found none,” an official said.

The Mystery Deepens

Four days after the shocking deaths of Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Naseem (35) and their daughters Ayesha (16) and Zainab (13), the mystery surrounding what led to the sudden deterioration in their health has deepened. 

Their relatives have said they ate watermelon hours before being hospitalised. The four were hospitalised in a semi-conscious state after they started vomiting and died within hours of each other.   

Earlier, Dr Sanjay Surase, medical superintendent of Sir JJ Hospital, where three of the victims died, said their condition did not match the symptoms of a typical foodborne illness. “If this were food poisoning, the clinical picture would be very different. It does not typically lead to such rapid and severe deterioration. The speed of deterioration, the severity of the condition, and the fact that multiple members of a single family were affected are not consistent with a routine foodborne illness. We are looking at the possibility of a toxic or chemical substance,” he told The Indian Express.

The Indian Express also spoke to Shridhar Dube-Patil, the food safety commissioner of the state’s Food and Drug Administration. He said even pesticide residue cannot lead to such a tragedy. “Watermelon is an agricultural product. It doesn’t come under our purview until it is harvested. But before that, it is sprayed with at least 14–15 different kinds of pesticides and insecticides. There is bound to be a pesticide residue. But nobody dies from it,” he said. 

Doctor busts claims

Doctors have told The Indian Express that there is no scientific basis for the viral claims that eating watermelon after biryani could be harmful. 

Dr Tushar Palve, Medical Superintendent at Cama and Albless Hospital, said there is no medical evidence to suggest this. “In such incidents, we have to consider the likelihood of exposure to toxic substances. This could be chemical poisoning, for instance, if the fruit was contaminated externally or had an adulterant. However, the clinical presentation in this case appears unusual, and we have to wait for forensic reports,” he said.

The doctor said a watermelon can be contaminated if it has been cut and left out for a long time, or washed with contaminated water, or sliced with an unclean knife. Some sellers also inject sugar water into the fruit so that it tastes plump and fresh. 

“All of this and the high water content of the fruit itself results in bacterial contamination (say Salmonella or E. coli), which can lead to severe food poisoning. If contaminated watermelon is consumed, patients may develop diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, bloating, and gas. These symptoms usually begin within 30 minutes to four hours of consumption, especially if a large quantity is eaten,” Dr Palve said. Such cases, however, are generally not fatal.  

(Vedika Nambiar and Siddhi Deshmukh are interns with The Indian Express.)