Substance found in abdomen, further tests needed

UNNAO : The post-mortem examination conducted by a panel of four doctors could not help the police unravel the mystery behind the death of two minor girls and the critical condition of a third one in a remote village of Unnao district.

The girls, aged between 13 and 16 years, were found unconscious in a mustard field on Wednesday with a dupatta, according to family members, tied around their necks.

The doctors have preserved the viscera, which would be sent for forensic examination to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Lucknow. The panel did not find any external or internal injury, three police officers said separately. They confirmed that a substance has been found in abdomen. This substance, they said, was extremely smelly and frothy.

“The doctors are unable to determine this substance. The samples of this substance have been taken and will be lab tested,” they said.

The entire autopsy process was recorded with specific points given to the panel of four doctors for better understanding of the possible reason for the deaths. The necks were examined in order to find out if the girls were strangulated or any one applied pressure around the region.

No sign of lacerations or swelling around the neck region or, for that matter on other body parts, was noticed, said a doctor and two police officers. Similarly, the panel ruled out any possibility of sexual assault.

Following the finding, the police have included food poisoning among the angles being explored in the case, said an official.

On the other hand, the hospital, where one of the victims is on life support, said in a medical bulletin released on Thursday evening that the doctors were treating the case of suspected poisoning.