Death by watermelon? How a family of 4 in Mumbai died after consuming the fruit

A Biryani feast, watermelon, and then a family of four dies in Mumbai. The incident is reported from the Pydhonie area, where an entire family was wiped out on Sunday (April 26), with police now attempting to piece together what led to the sudden and tragic deaths.

Four members of a family included Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen Dokadia (35), and their two daughters Ayesha (16) and Zainab (13). Suspected food poisoning may have claimed the lives, according to police.

We take a look.

What happened?

On Saturday night (April 25), around 10:30 pm, Abdullah Abdul Kadar, a local trader, along with his wife Nasreen and two daughters, Zainab and Ayesha, gathered for dinner. Biryani was on the menu. The five other close relatives also joined them for the feast.

After that, the Abdullah family returned to their respective home in Pydhonie, South Mumbai. Till that time, there were no complaints regarding health.

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Around 1–1.30 am, the kids felt hungry, so Abdullah and Naseem cut a watermelon, and they ate it, preliminary information reveals. Their condition began to deteriorate around 5 am. They all started facing vomiting and loose motion.

Initially, a doctor living in the same building rushed to help; however, their situation worsened, and they were taken to JJ Hospital.

Despite medical care, Zainab, the younger daughter, died around 10:15 am. Her mother and elder sister also passed away during treatment. The husband died later that night at around 10:30 pm, NDTV reported.

What the eyewitness said

Dr Ziad Qureshi, who first examined the family, recounted their final moment.

"This incident happened on the second floor, and I live on the fourth floor. When I reached, there were four people inside, including two daughters and the husband. They were in a drowsy state. They informed me that they had eaten watermelon. One of the daughters was gasping for breath. She was panting and had no pulse," he said as quoted by India Today.

“As a doctor, I understood the situation and started CPR on her. But she was not reviving. We immediately shifted her to a nearby hospital, but by the time she reached there, she was already dead," Qureshi added.

"My son’s entire family is wiped out"

Abdullah’s mother, who lives in Jogeshwari, Mumbai, is shocked by the sudden death of her son's family and is struggling to come to terms with the loss.

"I cannot believe. My son’s entire family is wiped out. Just last weekend, I met them and played with my granddaughters. The elder one had given her SSC exam, and the younger one was in Class 8. I am not in a state to speak more,” the heartbroken mother said, the Indian Express reported.

“I have five sons and two daughters. One of my sons is no more.”

The sister-in-law also recounted how the entire event unfolded.

She said, "My husband, three children, and my husband’s sister went out for dinner on Saturday night. I could not go as I had gone shopping with my sister-in-law. They returned home around 11.45 pm after eating pulao, and nothing happened to them," the news outlet quoted her as saying.

However, according to her, "Later, around 1–1.30 am, the children felt hungry, so Abdullah and Naseem cut a watermelon. All four of them ate it,” she said while grieving the loss alongside other relatives.

“The next day was Sunday, so they thought they would wake up late. Early in the morning, we got a call that they were vomiting and had loose motions. We rushed them to the hospital. It is horrifying to accept they are no more,” the sister-in-law added.

Did police instruct the family not to speak much?

As the family waits for clarity, Abdullah’s cousin Mohammed Mustafa Iqbal said, "The only thing different they had was the watermelon, which none of the guests ate. We suspect it could be the reason, but we will have to wait for the forensic and the postmortem report, which may take around 15 days."

Iqbal urged caution against misinformation, saying that police instructed them not to speak much, especially to the media. "...There are rumours circulating that nine people died after eating watermelon. That is not true," he added, according to Express.

Where does the investigation stand?

According to reports, police also inspected the building, recorded a half-eaten piece of watermelon, and sent it for laboratory testing. This came as food poisoning was suspected as the cause behind the suspicious deaths that took place within a gap of 12 hours.

“Postmortem has been conducted. Food samples and body samples have been taken. Further investigation is underway," Pravin Munde, Deputy Commissioner of Police at Mumbai police, IT reported.

Forensic and food safety teams have been roped in for the probe. The state Food and Drug Administration is examining whether the watermelon consumed contained any toxic substances or adulterants. The forensic experts are working to establish the cause of death based on the analysis of food samples and viscera reports.

Meanwhile, the microbiology department at JJ Hospital is conducting tests to detect any infections or bacterial presence. The tissue samples will be evaluated through histopathological examination. Once the histopathology report is received, a conclusive cause of death will be determined.

An officer who inspected the house of the deceased family said, "We are just asking around with neighbours and relatives living in the building as part of our investigation. We don’t know the actual cause of death yet; only the forensic and postmortem report can tell. It’ll take at least 15 days," according to reports.

With inputs from agencies