A senior FDA official said, “We had collected the samples of leftover food items that we found during our investigation at the residence… We have sent it to our laboratory in Bandra for testing and have requested them to share the findings on priority basis.”‘Even as laboratory results of food samples in the Pydhonie deaths are awaited, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been unable to find any watermelon in the locality, complicating efforts to trace the source of the suspected food item.Officials said teams have been surveying the area since Sunday but have not found a single vendor selling watermelon. “This is quite a bizarre case, we have never seen anything like this before. To understand it, we reviewed past FDA records to check for any instances of food poisoning linked to watermelon, or even a combination of biryani and watermelon, but found none,” an FDA official said.On April 27, four members of a family in south Mumbai’s Pydhonie area died after reportedly consuming a meal that included watermelon and biryani. Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Naseem (35) and their daughters Ayesha (16) and Zainab (13) died on Sunday hours after the four were hospitalised in a semi-conscious state after they started vomiting and died within hours of each other.According to the official, teams first visited the locality around 7 pm on Sunday to collect samples of watermelon from local vendors but found that the fruit had “completely disappeared” from local markets. “We also spoke to the relatives of the deceased to trace the source of the fruit, but they were unaware. We continued visiting the area on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but have still not found any vendor selling watermelons, which has prevented us from collecting samples. This is a basic step in our investigation — if the fruit was purchased locally, others may have bought it too —yet no similar food poisoning cases have been reported so far,” the official said.The FDA has collected material from the family’s residence to investigate the reasons for the deaths. In total, 11 samples have been sent for testing, including leftover watermelon and biryani stored in the refrigerator, pulao from utensils, raw chicken from the freezer, kitchen ingredients such as spices and rice, partially consumed dates, and water stored in glasses and a clay pot.Officials said the laboratory analysis, expected on Wednesday, has been delayed due to administrative reasons and is now likely by Thursday.A senior FDA official said, “We had collected the samples of leftover food items that we found during our investigation at the residence… We have sent it to our laboratory in Bandra for testing and have requested them to share the findings on priority basis.”Story continues below this adThe official added that the lab results will form only one part of the investigation. “The forensic reports and postmortem reports are crucial in the case and all these combined assessments… will determine the exact cause of the death,” the official said.FDA is working alongside the police, forensic laboratory at Kalina, and the pathology department of JJ Hospital as part of a multi-agency probe into the deaths.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Mumbai