Actor Shefali Jariwala had been observing a fast as part of a religious ritual and probably took medicines on an empty stomach, which may have led to her death. This is becoming more plausible as new evidence and reports emerge about the actor's sudden death at the age of 42 on June 27.
While the detailed cause of death is not yet out, she is reported to have suffered a cardiac arrest as the immediate reason.
Police have said she had been on a fast after holding a Satyanarayan Puja, a ritual performed for prosperity and general well-being, at the family home. While she had not eaten for hours, her husband and TV actor Parag Tyagi told the police that she collapsed around 10.30 pm after consuming food that had been prepared a day before.
Shefali Jariwala’s final moments retraced
Parag Tyagi was walking their dog downstairs in the apartment building when he got a call from the house help about Shefali having passed out. He rushed up in the lift while the house help went downstairs to take care of the old dog.
Shefali Jariwala’s friend Pooja Ghai quoted Parag to retrace her final hours. “Parag said that her pulse was still on, her eyes were not opening, and she just had dead weight to her body,” Ghai told film journalist Vivek Lalwani.
{{/usCountry}}Shefali Jariwala’s friend Pooja Ghai quoted Parag to retrace her final hours. “Parag said that her pulse was still on, her eyes were not opening, and she just had dead weight to her body,” Ghai told film journalist Vivek Lalwani.
{{/usCountry}}“He realised something was definitely wrong and took her to the hospital, but apparently when she was brought to the hospital, she was already dead,” Ghai further said.
Tyagi took her to Bellevue Multispeciality Hospital in Mumbai’s Andheri, where she was declared dead on arrival. The post-mortem examination was conducted at R N Cooper Hospital, Juhu, after which the preliminary findings about a possible cardiac arrest came out.
Information from doctors and police sources, pieced together, suggests the suddenness of the collapse is linked to low blood pressure, which could be the result of prolonged fasting and taking medication on an empty stomach.
Role of fast and skin-brightening medicines
This leads to the question: Between the puja, and her eventual demise, was there a role of anti-ageing and skin-lightening pills and other such medicines, being taken unsupervised? Police found at least two boxes of anti-ageing medicines, “skin glow” tablets and vitamin supplements during a search at her home, Hindustan Times has reported.
Vials of glutathione — often marketed as a skin-brightening agent — were among the seized articles.
From Pooja Ghai’s account, it emerged that Shefali used to take Vitamin-C intravenous (IV) drips, too, one of which she took even on the night of her death. She claimed that such IV drips are “not unsafe” and “it’s very common in Dubai”.
Shefali’s family have said she took these supplements and over-the-counter pills without express involvement of doctors.
No foul play is suspected or reported. Statements have, however, been recorded by the police from her husband, other family members, house staff, and some friends.
What police say so far
Police were informed less than an hour after she collapsed in her apartment. Officers reached the Juhu hospital before midnight, and the autopsy was conducted the next day, as per protocol, including video-recording of the procedure.
While the body was released after the autopsy and cremated by the family, viscera has been preserved and sent for analysis to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Kalina, Mumbai, to reveal the exact cause of death. That could take between two and three months.
Shefali Jariwala had first shot to fame two decades ago, in 2002, as the lead model in the remix song 'Kaanta Laga’. She did other projects later, mostly reality shows, but her fame never again reached the heights that it had after her breakout hit.