Ahmedabad: Police are probing possible mass suicide as well as targeted poisoning in the deaths of three-month-old Raha Prajapati and her four-year-old sister Mishri, who allegedly fell ill after eating dosa, officers said on Thursday. Investigators said toxicology reports establish the presence of fumigants — commonly used to preserve wheat grains and kill rodents — in the blood samples of the girls’ parents, Bhavna and Vimal Prajapati. This has raised suspicion that the couple may have consumed poison in a suicide attempt.TOI had earlier reported that police had ruled out contamination in the batter sold by the Chandkheda dairy after finding that about 200 people who used the same batch reported no illness. This had shifted the probe to possible contamination of the batter after it was bought, and intentional poisoning. Police said postmortem and viscera reports of the two sisters are still awaited, and only those forensic findings will confirm the exact cause of death. “Police are now questioning the couple’s relatives after an investigation revealed that domestic quarrels were quite frequent in the household owing to Vimal’s poor financial condition,” said a senior police officer. “We have been probing angles of mass suicide or murder in the case,” the officer said. The case came to light on Tuesday after the two girls died and their parents were admitted to a private hospital with suspected food poisoning after eating dosa. While Raha died on April 3, Mishri died on April 5. Their parents remain hospitalized and in critical condition, police sources said.According to the children’s grandfather, Gaurishankar Prajapati, Vimal bought dosa batter from Ghanashyam Dairy, on April 1. The next morning, Vimal, Bhavna, and their two daughters began vomiting and were taken to a hospital after their condition worsened. Police are also examining the medical history of all four family members and have sought assistance from a panel of doctors. “The condition of the girls’ parents is stable, but their vitals continue to fluctuate, due to which they were not discharged on Thursday. They will be questioned after they are discharged,” said the police officer. The investigators are awaiting the forensic report. “If poisonous substances are also found in the viscera samples of the two girls, then it will strengthen the poisoning angle. At present, the investigation is based on preliminary findings and corroborative evidence,” the officer said.
