Kamal Ghorui
MUMBAI: A small part of the puzzle on what went down in the Dokadia house on Sunday night has been solved. The initial suspicion of the investigative authorities focused on food adulteration; on Friday, FDA reports showed that none of the food samples collected from the house showed any signs of additives such as artificial sweeteners or colours. The findings have their limitations: As bacterial tests could not be performed, bacteria cannot be ruled out, nor can the presence of any other toxins.FDA officials said their tests can only conclude if a product is what it claims to be, and can look for a mixture of known substances in food adulteration. For instance, in the case of a watermelon, the FDA has ruled out synthetic dyes and other additives used to artificially enhance colour, sweetness, or size.All the other food samples collected were also found to be of standard quality. The results on the water sample were inconclusive, and officials could not test the dates due to their small quantity. The meat sample has been shared with BMC labs for protein analysis.Further explanation on their demise would lie in forensic reports. The food samples were split between the forensics team and the FDA. Scientists will now look for toxins in these samples produced by microorganisms or by other poisonous substances.Four members of the Dokadia family died in quick succession after a Saturday night feast. These deaths were linked to a watermelon consumed at 1am on Sunday. The samples collected included the fruit, half-eaten dates, water mixed with a cinnamon powder-like substance, pulao-biryani, raw rice and spices. The deceased Bhendi Bazaar residents were: Abdulla Dokadia, 44, who owned a mobile phone accessories shop in Andheri; his wife, Nasreen, 35; and daughters Ayesha, 16, and Zainab, 12. Their viscera and stomach wash samples are with the Kalina forensics lab.Forensic experts will perform tests to look for toxins produced by microorganisms or by other poisonous substances. “The entire database of poisons will be compared with the findings of the tests,” said a top forensic expert.
