A day after a forensic report said a lethal dose of zinc phosphide, a rat poison, led to the deaths of four members of the Bedoni family, police recovered a bottle of rat repellent from their home on Friday. However, zinc phosphide was not listed as an ingredient in the bottle, adding to the list of unanswered questions about the deaths.
“We found a bottle containing rat poison in the family home. However, it does not contain zinc phosphide. We will send the bottle for forensic examination, anyway,” a JJ Marg police officer said.
The officer said that the presence of rat poison in the house was not unusual because the Mughal building where the family lived was old and had rats in the building, adding that the investigation would now focus on who laced the watermelon with zinc phosphide.
The deaths of the Dokadia family – Abdullah Dokadia, 40, his wife Nasreen, 35, and their two daughters Aisha, 16, and Zainab, 13 – had baffled police for ten days, until the forensic laboratory submitted its report to police on Thursday.
The report stated that the intestines of the four deceased contained traces of the highly toxic substance zinc phosphide. The toxin was also found in watermelon that the family ate a few hours before they fell ill on April 26.
Although the cause of death has been determined, basic questions remain: Where did the rat poison that contaminated the watermelon come from? Was the family murdered or was it a suicide pact? Is there still a possibility that these deaths were accidental?
The police recorded four cases of accidental death when the Doukadias died. Now, they do not rule out murder or pacts to commit suicide.
A police officer said: “We have started our investigations again. To determine the source of the rat poison, we are examining CCTV footage and speaking to pharmacists to find out who sold the rodenticide and who bought it.”
“Our investigation will also focus on whether the deceased were under financial stress, whether there were loans they could not repay, or whether they had enemies,” the officer said.
