Mumbai family of four dies after having watermelon: Police probe what happened after 1 am
Suspected food poisoning is being probed, but authorities say the exact cause will only be confirmed after forensic and postmortem reports are completed
- Apr 28, 2026,
- Updated Apr 28, 2026 10:38 AM IST
On the night of April 25 in Mumbai's Paydhuni area, a family of four sat down for dinner, had relatives over, and ate together. By early morning, all of them were found dead.
Abdullah Dokadia, 40, his wife Nasreen, 35, and their two daughters, Ayesha, 16, and Zainab, 13, died within hours of each other under circumstances that have left investigators and neighbours searching for answers. Suspected food poisoning is being probed, but authorities say the exact cause will only be confirmed after forensic and postmortem reports are completed.
What happened that night
According to preliminary information, the family had invited relatives over for dinner on Saturday evening. After eating biryani together, the guests left around 10:30 pm. Later, around 1 am, the family consumed watermelon. By early morning, around 5 to 6 am, they began complaining of vomiting and loose motions. Their condition deteriorated rapidly.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Munde said, "An unnatural death report has been registered at JJ Marg police station. Four members of a Muslim family, husband, wife and their two daughters, have died. On April 25, they had called relatives home and ate together. Around 10:30 pm, the relatives left. Later at night, around 1 am, they ate watermelon. By early morning, around 5–6 am, they started complaining of vomiting and loose motions."
A neighbour's account
A doctor living in the same building rushed to help when the alarm was raised. What he found inside the flat was grim.
"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. One of the daughters was gasping for breath. She was panting and had no pulse," he said.
"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."
The rush to the hospital
As their condition worsened, the family was taken to a nearby hospital and later referred to JJ Hospital. Despite medical efforts, all four died during treatment. Local resident Dr Zaid Qureshi said, "Their condition worsened suddenly at night. They had vomiting, diarrhoea and weakness. They were rushed to hospital, but could not be saved."
Political reaction
The incident drew a response from Waris Pathan, national spokesperson of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. "In Mumbai, eating watermelon led to the death of four members of the same family. This is an extremely tragic, serious and heart-wrenching incident. Our demand is that the government investigate this incident, find the real cause of the deaths, and make the report public," he said.
Investigation underway
Police have registered a case of accidental death and collected food and biological samples during the postmortem. DCP Munde confirmed: "Postmortem has been conducted. Food samples and body samples have been taken. Further investigation is underway."
Authorities have not ruled out other possibilities. A definitive cause of death will only be established once forensic and postmortem reports are complete.
On the night of April 25 in Mumbai's Paydhuni area, a family of four sat down for dinner, had relatives over, and ate together. By early morning, all of them were found dead.
Abdullah Dokadia, 40, his wife Nasreen, 35, and their two daughters, Ayesha, 16, and Zainab, 13, died within hours of each other under circumstances that have left investigators and neighbours searching for answers. Suspected food poisoning is being probed, but authorities say the exact cause will only be confirmed after forensic and postmortem reports are completed.
What happened that night
According to preliminary information, the family had invited relatives over for dinner on Saturday evening. After eating biryani together, the guests left around 10:30 pm. Later, around 1 am, the family consumed watermelon. By early morning, around 5 to 6 am, they began complaining of vomiting and loose motions. Their condition deteriorated rapidly.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Munde said, "An unnatural death report has been registered at JJ Marg police station. Four members of a Muslim family, husband, wife and their two daughters, have died. On April 25, they had called relatives home and ate together. Around 10:30 pm, the relatives left. Later at night, around 1 am, they ate watermelon. By early morning, around 5–6 am, they started complaining of vomiting and loose motions."
A neighbour's account
A doctor living in the same building rushed to help when the alarm was raised. What he found inside the flat was grim.
"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. One of the daughters was gasping for breath. She was panting and had no pulse," he said.
"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."
The rush to the hospital
As their condition worsened, the family was taken to a nearby hospital and later referred to JJ Hospital. Despite medical efforts, all four died during treatment. Local resident Dr Zaid Qureshi said, "Their condition worsened suddenly at night. They had vomiting, diarrhoea and weakness. They were rushed to hospital, but could not be saved."
Political reaction
The incident drew a response from Waris Pathan, national spokesperson of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. "In Mumbai, eating watermelon led to the death of four members of the same family. This is an extremely tragic, serious and heart-wrenching incident. Our demand is that the government investigate this incident, find the real cause of the deaths, and make the report public," he said.
Investigation underway
Police have registered a case of accidental death and collected food and biological samples during the postmortem. DCP Munde confirmed: "Postmortem has been conducted. Food samples and body samples have been taken. Further investigation is underway."
Authorities have not ruled out other possibilities. A definitive cause of death will only be established once forensic and postmortem reports are complete.