Five of a family dead after consuming ‘adulterated’ edible oil

Five members of a family died over the past 10 days in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, allegedly after consuming adulterated edible oil that led to a toxic condition, officials said on Monday. Another family member is undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, they said.

Spate of Fatalities: Five Family Members Succumb Over 10 Days

The deceased, all residents of Sikka village under Padwa police station limits, have been identified as Kuldeep Mahato (50), his daughters Babita Kumari (20) and Indu Kumari, daughter-in-law Sweta Devi (28), and son Nakul Mahato (20).

According to officials, Kuldeep Mahato died at Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) in Palamu on June 19, followed by Babita on June 20 and Indu on June 26. Sweta Devi died during treatment at RIMS on Sunday, while Nakul succumbed on Monday at the same institute. Mahato’s wife, Lakho Devi (52), is currently undergoing treatment, they said.

Argemone Adulteration Suspected as Medical Team Flags Lack of Treatment

“Three family members, including two women, were admitted in critical condition to the RIMS Trauma Centre. Two of them, including one woman, died during treatment, while the other woman is still undergoing treatment,” RIMS Public Relations Officer Dr Shishir told PTI.

He said preliminary findings suggested that the family had consumed adulterated edible oil, leading to epidemic dropsy, a toxic condition caused by the consumption of edible oils, most commonly mustard oil, adulterated with Argemone mexicana seed oil. However, the exact cause of death would be ascertained after post-mortem examinations, he added.

Palamu Civil Surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Srivastava said the family did not have faith in modern medicine, which adversely affected their treatment. “After receiving the information, we formed a special team and brought the family members to the hospital. They were provided treatment, but they did not take the medicines properly. The family repeated this five times,” he said.

According to villagers, a member of the family had fallen ill around six months ago and was taken to an exorcist, who allegedly gave them a powder that they consumed after mixing it with mustard oil. (PTI)

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