Three migrant labourers died on Thursday morning after allegedly consuming chicken that they had cooked themselves in Mari Nau Abad village under Bhikhiwind sub-division of Tarn Taran district, police said.
The victims—22-yr-old Komal Chaudhary, his cousin 13-yr-old Rahul of Bihar and 22-yr-old Swapan of Bengal—had been working as plaster of Paris (POP) labourers in Bhikhiwind for the last two years, the police said.
One of the deceased, Komal, had called his brother Sahib Choudhary, complaining of stomach pains and vomiting after eating the chicken on Wednesday night.
“My brother told me he was suffering from stomach pains after eating the chicken, so I rushed to his village,” said Sahib, a labourer who lives in Patti. “When I reached their house I found my brother writing in severe pain, while the two others had already died. I found some leftover chicken in the three plates at the spot. With the help of some villagers, I rushed my brother to a hospital but he died on the way,’ he added.
Deputy superintendent of police Bhikhiwind, Sulakhan Singh Mann, station house officer Bhikhiwind police station, Sukhchain Singh and other cops reached the spot to initiate a probe. Samples of the leftover chicken have been sent for testing. A post-mortem of the three deceased was conducted at Patti civil hospital.
{{/usCountry}}Deputy superintendent of police Bhikhiwind, Sulakhan Singh Mann, station house officer Bhikhiwind police station, Sukhchain Singh and other cops reached the spot to initiate a probe. Samples of the leftover chicken have been sent for testing. A post-mortem of the three deceased was conducted at Patti civil hospital.
{{/usCountry}}“The chicken was prepared by the deceased. Our preliminary investigation suggests that they died after eating the chicken that might have been poisoned. We will take action after the chicken test and autopsy report comes in,” said the DSP. Inquest proceedings have been initiated by registering a case under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) at Bhikhiwind police station, he said.