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‘Not typical food poisoning’: Mumbai’s ‘watermelon deaths’ mystery deepens
The doctors at the hospital said the couple and their daughters were brought in a semi-conscious state.
The Mumbai police said the relatives did not eat the watermelon that the family ate around 1-1.30 am after the guests left. (Express Photo)
Two days after a Mumbai couple and their two daughters died, reportedly after eating a watermelon, doctors at the hospital where they were admitted said their condition was far worse than what is typically seen in cases of food poisoning.
Abdullah Dokadia (44), his wife Nasreen (35), and their daughters Ayesha (16) and Zainab (12) died on Sunday within hours of each other. They were hospitalised on Sunday after they started vomiting. Earlier, they had eaten watermelon at their Pydhonie home.
Dr Sanjay Surase, medical superintendent of Sir JJ Hospital, said the family’s 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 said.
Dr Surase said Abdullah, Nasreen, and their daughters first started vomiting. This was followed by rapid neurological decline and loss of consciousness, a pattern he said was more indicative of an exposure to a potent external agent. “Loss of consciousness is related to brain function. This kind of progression suggests something beyond ordinary food contamination.”
The doctors at the hospital said the couple and their daughters were brought in in a semiconscious state. Their relatives told the staff that they had eaten watermelon at night and started vomiting soon after. They then consulted a local doctor, who advised an injection. Later, they became semi-conscious and had to be rushed to the hospital.
Nasreen was brought in at 11 am on Sunday and admitted to the ICU. She died two-and-a-half hours later. Ayesha was hospitalised at 11.55 am, with symptoms similar to those of her mother. She died at 5.15 pm. Abdullah was brought in at 11 am and died at 10.15 pm. Zainab, the youngest member of the family, also died within hours of her admission to another hospital.
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