Five members of same family die within six days after eating Kheer in Kasur Village

A tragic incident in Mahmood Khanike village near Kanganpur in Kasur district has claimed the lives of five members of the same family

KASUR / KANGANPUR:  A tragic incident in Mahmood Khanike village near Kanganpur in Kasur district has claimed the lives of five members of the same family within six days after they reportedly consumed homemade kheer suspected to have been contaminated by a lizard.

The victims include Qasim, his wife Hasna Bibi and their three sons, Nazim, Asif and Amanat. The family, which depended on farming for its livelihood, reportedly fell seriously ill after eating the rice pudding prepared at their home on October 22.

According to local sources and police officials, the eldest son, Nazim, was the first to develop serious symptoms. Initially, the family mistook the illness for a routine health problem and sought spiritual treatment from a faith healer. However, the condition of all five family members continued to deteriorate despite these efforts.

They reportedly suffered from persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain and extreme weakness for several days.

On October 25, as their condition became critical, the family members were taken to a local medical facility in Kanganpur. Doctors referred them to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Kasur, from where they were subsequently shifted to Lahore General Hospital for further treatment.

The eldest son, Nazim, died first and was buried in his native village the same day. According to reports, his burial took place without the completion of legal proceedings.

The following day, Qasim and his two other sons, Asif and Amanat, also succumbed to their condition. Meanwhile, Hasna Bibi reportedly passed away at the hospital while funeral prayers for her husband and two sons were being offered in the village.

In a significant development, police sources revealed that Qasim had recorded a statement before his death, claiming that a lizard had fallen into the kheer prepared at their home. He reportedly told investigators that the lizard was removed and discarded along with the portion of the food in which it had fallen. However, the remaining kheer was consumed by the family.

Following the incident, police initiated proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Post-mortem examinations were conducted on four victims, including Qasim, Hasna Bibi, Asif and Amanat, while Nazim had already been buried.

Samples of stomach contents and blood have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) in Lahore for laboratory analysis. Police officials said preliminary investigations had not indicated any personal enmity involving the family, making suspected food contamination an important angle of the investigation.

Medical sources at Lahore General Hospital said the patients had reportedly arrived in critical condition with symptoms of severe food poisoning and multi-organ failure.

Medical experts have cautioned that although common house lizards are not generally venomous, contamination of food can expose people to harmful microorganisms. However, the precise role of the suspected contamination and the actual cause of death cannot be established without laboratory findings.

The PFSA report is expected to provide important evidence in determining what caused the deaths.

Meanwhile, residents of Mahmood Khanike village expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, describing Qasim as a hardworking farmer and his sons as young men who assisted their father in agricultural work.

The family members and villagers have called on the authorities to conduct a transparent and comprehensive investigation to establish the circumstances behind the deaths.