Gadchiroli/Nagpur: Two women have been arrested in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on charges of using toxic heavy metal, Thallium, to kill five of their family members over the course of 20 days, masked as mere cases of food poisoning, police and media reports said on Wednesday.
The two women, identified as Sanghamitra Kumbhare (22) and Rosa Ramteke (36), reportedly sourced Thallium from Telangana and secretly introduced the poison into the victims’ food and water. Additionally, two family members and a driver fell critically ill, showing similar symptoms.
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Wednesday 06 Nov. 2024
The sudden death of the five members of the family over a single month raised suspicion and seemed confusing to both relatives and locals. The incident occurred between September 26 and October 15. The victims of the murder displayed a range of symptoms, including tingling limbs, severe lower back, heavy tongue, darkened lips, head pain and speech impediments.
One of the accused individuals is believed to have concealed deep hatred due to recurrent taunts from her husband and in-laws. In contrast, the other suspect was embroiled in disputes with the victims regarding the division of their ancestral property.
According to official statements, the sequence of events began with Shankar Kumbhare and his wife Vijaya Kumbhare of Mahagaon village in Aheri tehsil falling ill on September 20. Their condition deteriorated quickly and they were subsequently transferred to a hospital in Nagpur following initial treatment in Chandrapur. However, Shankar died on September 26, followed by his wife the next day.
As the Kumbhare family were grieving the deaths, Shankar’s son Roshan and daughters Komal Dahagaokar and Ananda, known as Varsha Urade, developed similar symptoms and were admitted to different hospitals. Despite medical efforts, the three siblings died between October 8 and October 15.
Shankar’s other son, Sagar, who had travelled from Delhi to perform in his parents’ last rites, fell seriously ill upon his return, requiring urgent hospitalization. The family’s driver, who had initially transported Shankar and Vijaya to Chandrapur, also fell victim to the poison. A relative who had visited Chandrapur and Nagpur to assist the family likewise exhibited symptoms of poisoning.
Although doctors suspected some kind of poison as the reason for the victims’ mysterious symptoms, initial examinations failed to pinpoint the cause. Responding to the situation, the police deployed five investigative teams under the leadership of SP Neelotpal.
Subsequent inquiries revealed that Sanghamitra was married to Roshan against her parents’ wishes, resulting in her alleged taunting by Roshan and her in-laws. Meanwhile, Rosa Ramteke was stuck in a bitter dispute over the division of the family’s ancestral property.
As per official reports, Sanghamitra and Rosa made a plan to eliminate individuals they considered enemies. Rosa travelled to Telangana to secure the heavy metal-based poison, which the two then secretly introduced into the victims’ food and water whenever an opportunity presented itself.
The Kumbhare family’s driver accidentally drank poisoned water from a bottle that had been in the possession of Shankar and Vijaya during their initial trip to Chandrapur, leading to his illness.
SP Neelotpal confirmed that the two women were taken into custody on Wednesday morning.
“The primary motive behind the murder appears to be the mental torture suffered at the hands of in-laws, including the husband, and a bitter dispute over ancestral property.” SP Neeplotpal said.
“Further investigations by the Gadchiroli police are ongoing, and the involvement of additional individuals is also under scrutiny,” he added.
