LUCKNOW: Five members of a family, including three children, were found dead at their home in a village in Greater Noida after having dinner on Friday night. Police initially suspected food poisoning, but a food safety official later said the incident appeared to be a case of poisoning, with the exact cause of death yet to be established.
According to police sources, the deceased were identified as Mahesh, 37, his wife Lalita, 35, and their three children — two sons aged 11 and three, and a seven-year-old daughter.
“According to local residents, except the mother of the deceased couple, the family had eaten noodles on Friday night. However, the exact cause of death has not yet been established,” Noida Police said in a statement.
Food Safety Officer OP Singh, who visited the spot, said the incident appeared to be a “case of poisoning” and might not have been caused by food poisoning, as initially suspected.
Singh said the team examined the packets of all the food items consumed by the family but found no suspicious items or expired products.
“We examined the packets of all the things they had eaten. No expiry date was found on any of them. We did not find anything suspicious,” Singh said.
He added that the absence of symptoms typically associated with food poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhoea, had raised suspicions about the cause of the deaths.
“If it had been a case of food poisoning, there would have been symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, but nothing like that was found. The bodies were found in a normal state there. It seems to us that this is a case of poisoning,” he said.
Police said they received information about the incident on Saturday morning and rushed to the spot along with senior officials, an ambulance, a forensic team and officials from the food safety department.
“They were resting after dinner on Friday night and appeared to have fallen asleep. When we arrived at the scene, we found their bodies in that position. We are still investigating the circumstances and gathering details about the family,” said Rajeev Kumar Sisodiya, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida).
In a statement, Noida Police said a field unit and a forensic team were inspecting the scene and collecting scientific evidence.
Police said inquest proceedings were under way and the bodies were being sent for post-mortem examinations. Further legal action would be taken based on the post-mortem reports.
No case had been registered at the time of publication, and further investigation was under way, officials added.
Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh visited the residence of the deceased family and said the Chief Minister’s Office had been informed about the incident. He said the deaths occurred after the family consumed a poisonous substance, adding that the substance had been seized for analysis.
“The substance in question has been taken into custody for analysis; if it is confirmed to be toxic, strict action will be taken against the company that manufactured it,” Singh said.
He added that a forensic team had reached the spot and the Food Department was investigating the incident in Nagla Padam, within the Jewar Assembly constituency of Gautam Buddha Nagar district.
