Mumbai family deaths: Watermelon not the culprit; what green discolouration of internal organs indicates- The Week

The suspicious deaths of four family members in Mumbai—initially linked to eating watermelon last Saturday—sparked a heated debate over food safety. However, the autopsy report has ruled out the fruit as the cause, instead pointing toward poisoning.

The autopsy report revealed that the key organs of the victims- including the brain, heart and intestines- had turned green. Medical experts are examining the case and have flagged these signs as indicative of possible toxic exposure.

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Forensic tests found traces of morphine in the system of Abdullah Dokadia, 45, a local trader who was among the four family members found dead.

Abdullah Dokadia’s wife, Nasreen, 35, and the children, Zainab, 13, and Ayesha, 16, hosted a dinner with five relatives on Saturday and served mutton pulao. After the relatives left, the family consumed watermelon at around 1 am, and by 5 am, they fell ill. All had similar symptoms — vomiting and diarrhoea, hinting at food poisoning. They died within hours.

The state Food and Drug Administration clarified that no direct link between the deaths and the watermelon has been established so far. However, authorities are investigating whether the fruit may have been contaminated or adulterated with a toxic substance.

According to doctors, the case has indicated that the symptoms and internal findings do not align with a routine case of food poisoning.

What does green discolouration signify?

The green discolouration of internal organs observed during an autopsy is a critical finding, generally attributed to either advanced decomposition or—more alarmingly—the ingestion of toxic chemicals before death.

*Toxic chemical exposure: A key cause of rapid or multi-organ greening is the presence of foreign chemical substances, known as xenobiotics, circulating in the blood and accumulating in tissue.

*Advanced decomposition: In natural death, a greenish discolouration is one of the earliest signs of decomposition as well.

Besides decomposition, green organs can result from bacterial infections (via the pigment pyocyanin), hydrogen sulfide poisoning, or bile staining, where bile seeps into nearby tissue after death.