Medical board to be formed over Karachi minors' death due to food poisoning

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GEO NEWS
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KARACHI: A medical board comprising doctors from a private hospital will be formed to probe the matter of two minor siblings' death in Karachi allegedly due to food poisoning, the committee investigating the case decided Wednesday.

The investigating committee, constituted by the Karachi police chief, met on Wednesday to discuss the matter.

Members of the committee as well as officials of the investigating agencies attended the meeting. They answered various questions pertaining to the case during the meeting.

The meeting decided for the formation of a medical board comprising doctors of a private hospital.

The statements of the deceased minors' mother and father have been recorded, while the committee decided to record statements of some other individuals as well.

The meeting decided to obtain CCTV footage of the eatery, Play Land and nearby spots.

The Karachi police will prepare its report after the submission of reports by Punjab Forensic Science Agency and a local laboratory.

The PFSA has been examining the samples taken from the deceased minors' bodies.

Investigating officials say that the probe so far suggested that there was no difference between the statements of the deceased minor's mother and the driver.

Two siblings, 18-month-old Ahmed and Muhammad, 5, died from a suspected case of food poisoning on November 11, after dining out with their mother at a local eatery the previous night. The incident triggered a police investigation into the case, and resulted in the sealing of the restaurant in question.

On Tuesday, Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani also constituted a three-member committee to oversee the Sindh Food Authority. The committee comprises Sohrab Sarki, Sanjay Perwani, and Ghanwer Ali Khan Isran, and has been tasked to work towards improving the authority and its processes.

Expired meat recovered from Karachi eatery under probe

During a raid on a tip-off Tuesday, the Sindh Food Authority recovered expired meat from the eatery in question, located in the upscale Zamzama neighbourhood of Karachi. 

The authority found meat that had expired in as far back as 2015, and was said to have a rotting stench to it. Sindh Food Authority Director Abrar Sheikh told the media that the eatery's management had earlier failed to disclose the existence of the godown where the expired meat was found. 

"The meat was rotten and stinking, and we have removed it from the scene. It will be discarded because, otherwise, it is likely to cause and spread diseases," Sheikh said.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, the Sindh Food Authority officials found that the restaurant's supplies were being moved secretly. 

A young man, said to be transferring the expired meat, was taken into custody for questioning.

FIR includes 'murder without apparent motive' clause

A first information report was filed Tuesday night, the deceased children's father, Ahsan, told media personnel. The case includes clauses of murder without an apparent motive and poisoning, he added.

Ahsan said he was doubtful that the cotton candy his late kids had eaten on the fateful night could be the reason for their death. "They had [it] at home too," he stated.

Their maternal grandfather, on the other hand, said the minor boys had eaten from four different places and that it was now up to the police to take proper action and determine which food item caused the deaths.

Samples of 30+ items taken from minors' home

Late Monday night, the mother of the two deceased minor boys recorded her statement with the authorities, investigation sources said.

According to the sources, samples of more than 30 items from the residence of the bereaved family were taken and are scheduled to be sent to a laboratory for chemical analysis.

A closed-circuit television footage from the playland, from where the family bought sweets, and the restaurant, where the deceased last dined, were also being analysed, the sources noted.

The final cause of death can fully be ascertained only after the post-mortem and laboratory reports are released, the sources added.

Restaurant was served notice earlier

According to Sindh Food Authority Director Abrar Sheikh, the restaurant in question had been served an improvement notice two months prior to the incident.

Speaking of the two children's deaths on Sunday, Sheikh told Geo News: “The restaurant had been inspected around two months ago and was served an improvement notice along with a checklist.”

“We did not issue a No Objection Certificate to the restaurant,” he said, adding that they did not “have a certificate or registration process in place earlier”.

“We will start the process of registering eateries across the province from the end of this month,” he added.