19-yr-old Kerala girl died of poisoning, says autopsy report

Initially, her relatives said Anjushree had ordered “al faham” and other Arabic dishes online on December 31 and developed uneasiness after eating them. Later, her condition deteriorated, and she died on Friday in a private hospital in Mangaluru.

The post-mortem report of the 19-year-old college student who died in north Kerala’s Kasaragod district last Friday allegedly due to eating an Arabic dish has revealed that chemical poisoning led to her death, police said on Monday. Police added that they suspected it to be a case of suicide.

“It is not a food poisoning death. Traces of rat poison were found during post-mortem. A clear picture will emerge after chemical examination of viscera,” said food safety commissioner V R Vinod Kumar. (HT)

“It is not a food poisoning death. Traces of rat poison were found during post-mortem. A clear picture will emerge after chemical examination of viscera,” said food safety commissioner V R Vinod Kumar. District police superintendent Vaibhav Saxena also said it was a suspected case of suicide and a detailed investigation started.

Initially, her relatives said Anjushree had ordered “al faham” and other Arabic dishes online on December 31 and developed uneasiness after eating them. Later, her condition deteriorated, and she died on Friday in a private hospital in Mangaluru. Police later let off three persons, including the hotel owner, after it was found that her death was not due to food poisoning. They also said closed hotels would be allowed to function after obtaining clearance from the food safety department.

But the food safety department said the death of a nurse in Kottayam last week was a clear case of food poisoning. After two deaths in a week, the government ordered a crackdown on food joints and more than 600 hotels were raided, and 50 were closed down permanently after officials found they were functioning in an unhygienic environment.