A 22-year-old woman from Junnardeo in Madhya Pradesh died on Wednesday after allegedly consuming sweets from an unclaimed bag found outside a government office in Chhindwara district, taking the death toll in the suspected food poisoning case to three.
Victim dies during treatment at AIIMS Nagpur
The deceased, Khushboo, wife of Akhilesh Kharetwal, was undergoing treatment at AIIMS Nagpur, where she succumbed around 6.30 am on Wednesday. According to hospital authorities, she was admitted late Tuesday night after being referred from a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh, where she had been treated for nearly six days.
Doctors noted that Khushboo was suffering from uncontrolled blood pressure and severe liver damage. Despite intensive treatment, her condition deteriorated rapidly.
Two elderly men died earlier
Earlier, two men — 53-year-old Dasru Yaduvanshi and 75-year-old Sunderlal Kathuria — had died after consuming the same sweets. Dasru, a watchman at the Public Health Engineering (PHE) office, died on Sunday, while Sunderlal passed away on Tuesday during treatment in Chhindwara.
Another woman, Santoshi, continues to undergo treatment in Chhindwara, while a 19-year-old woman, Pooja, was discharged after receiving care at a community health centre.
Sweets found outside government office
The incident dates back to last Friday, when an unclaimed bag containing sweets was found outside the PHE office in Chhindwara. Several people reportedly consumed the sweets, unaware of possible contamination.
An AIIMS official said the case involved suspected food poisoning with multi-organ failure. Autopsy was conducted and viscera samples were sent for chemical analysis. However, Madhya Pradesh health officials stated that the post-mortem did not conclusively establish the cause of death, and samples have been sent to a forensic laboratory in Sagar.
Khushboo is survived by her four-month-old daughter. Her body was taken to her native village, Thawari, for last rites, as grief engulfed the family and local community.