Two minors dead, mother unconscious due to ‘tainted food’

KARACHI: Two minor brothers died, while their mother fell unconscious after allegedly consuming contaminated food in the upmarket Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighbourhood on Sunday.

The deceased brothers, identified as one-and-a-half-year-old Ahmad Ahsan and five-year-old Muhammad Ahsan, were the residents of Creek Vista Apartments in DHA.

The children and their mother Ayesha were taken to a private hospital in DHA after they fell sick. Doctors pronounced them dead, while their mother remains hospitalised.

Acting on the information received, police officials reached the site and inquired about the incident.

According to Clifton SHO Javed Abro, the initial investigations suggest that the victims had had dinner at a restaurant in Zamzama and sweets at a play land in Block-IV in Clifton on Saturday night. He said that both facilities have been sealed for forensic investigations.

A case had not been registered by the time this report was filed, as the police were waiting for the chemical examination and forensic reports.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the deaths of the two minor children and sought a report from the Karachi commissioner. The CM prayed for the health of the ailing mother and ordered that her life be saved.

The CM also directed the relevant authorities to submit an inspection report of the restaurants which would detail the mechanism of food inspection. He also asked the authorities to identify government institutions

which were responsible for the incident.

The police initiated investigations in collaboration with the food department and collected samples from the restaurants. The police investigators also obtained CCTV footage of a restaurant to identify other customers who ate the same food and to ascertain if they were affected by the food likewise.

No other complaint about the restaurants has so far been received, the police said, adding that they had also taken a few restaurant workers into custody who were being interrogated.

Sindh Food Authority Director Akbar Shaikh submitted an initial report to the CM.

The authority collected a total of 12 samples from the restaurant from where the family had dinner and sent them for laboratory tests. The restaurant had also been served an improvement notice a few days ago. Samples of sweets were also collected from the other shop while CCTV footage of the play area was also obtained.