Published Jun 11, 2026 | 7:06 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 11, 2026 | 8:29 PM
Two sisters died in Hyderabad. Local media blamed mangoes. (Supplied)
Synopsis: The deaths of two sisters in Hyderabad were widely blamed on mangoes on social media, but two FIRs filed by the family present different possibilities. While one mentioned mangoes as a possible cause, the other referred to home-cooked food. Police and food safety officials say the cause remains undetermined pending post-mortem and forensic reports.
On 10 June, multiple media as well as social media posts began circulating a disturbing claim from Hyderabad: two sisters had died after consuming mangoes purchased from a roadside vendor in Narayanguda.
The news and posts named the minor victims, described symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea, and raised fears about chemicals used to ripen fruits. Some went further, warning that adulterated food had become so widespread that the next meal we eat could just kill us.
The story quickly spread.
But while social media had settled on mangoes as the cause, official investigations had not.
Documents reviewed by South First, including two FIRs registered on consecutive days, reveal a far more complicated picture, one in which investigators are examining multiple possibilities while awaiting post-mortem examination (PME) and forensic reports.
The two FIRs themselves point in different directions.
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The family at the centre of the case had migrated from Bidar in Karnataka and was residing at Vittalwadi in Narayanguda.
According to the first complaint filed by 25-year-old Bhagyashree, the family’s troubles began shortly after a relative brought mangoes home on 5 June.
The FIR states: “On 05.06.2026, their relative Renuka brought mangoes for their family from a mango cart located opposite the water tank in Narayanaguda. All of them ate those mangoes on the same night.”
What followed was a sudden onset of illness affecting multiple family members.
Bhagyashree told police that from the evening of 6 June, her mother and four younger sisters started suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. She too developed similar symptoms the following morning.
Then the situation turned fatal.
The complaint states that Bhuvaneshwari, a 17-year-old student, felt dizzy and collapsed on 7 June. She was taken to CC Shroff Hospital in Kacheguda at around 10 pm.
She died less than two hours later.
The complaint filed on 8 June became the basis for first at Narayanguda Police Station.
Importantly, the FIR did not conclusively blame mangoes. Instead, it recorded uncertainty. “It is possible that her third younger sister, Bhuvaneshwari, died due to the consumption of those mangoes or due to some other health-related issues.”
That caveat would become important the next day.
At this stage, investigators were dealing with one death, multiple sick family members and a possible link to mangoes consumed shortly before the illnesses began.
But then another child died.
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On 9 June, Bhagyashree returned to the police station and submitted another complaint. By then, another younger sister had succumbed after falling ill.
The second FIR states that Sudha Rani, 14, who had been admitted to Shalini Children’s Hospital in Kacheguda, died while being shifted to Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) for advanced treatment.
Unlike the previous complaint, this one did not focus on mangoes.
Instead, it suggested a different possibility. The FIR states: “They suspect that due to the food cooked at home or some other reason, they suffered from motion and vomiting, fell ill, and might have passed away due to food poisoning.”
It then adds: “They do not have any other suspicion regarding this.” The second complaint led to the registration of another FIR under Section 194 of the BNSS.
With two FIRs on record, investigators were now confronted with conflicting possibilities. One pointed towards mangoes as a potential cause. The other referred to home-cooked food or another unknown factor.
The contradictory nature of the FIRs prompted food safety authorities to proceed cautiously.
B. Laxmikanth, Food Safety Officer (FSO) of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), said officials had already visited the area and initiated an inquiry.
“We have sent our concerned food safety officials for inquiry. As of now, it is not concluded yet because there are two FIRs registered in this case,” he said to South First.
Laxmikanth noted that the first FIR referred to mangoes while the second pointed towards home-cooked food.
“The first FIR says some people have fallen sick because of mangoes. The second FIR says the incident might have happened because of eating some home-cooked food,” he said.
At present, he said, neither theory has been established. “The toxicology reports have not yielded any results as of now. There are two deaths in this case and post-mortem reports are awaited. After that only something will come out,” he said.
Dr Karthik Nagula, Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Osmania Medical College, who conducted the post-mortem examination of the second deceased, also cautioned against attributing the death to mangoes or any specific food item before laboratory reports are available.
“During the post-mortem, I did not find any significant findings on the body. I did not observe any obvious changes that would immediately suggest poisoning due to a particular substance. As per protocol, we have preserved samples and sent them for microbiological examination, forensic science laboratory analysis and histopathological examination. Only after those reports come can we comment further. The final opinion is pending.”
Nagula said the post-mortem examination alone cannot establish whether a particular food item caused the death.
“We cannot comment that this happened because of mangoes. Everybody in the family reportedly ate the mangoes. We are also told that neighbours consumed mangoes from the same source. We do not know exactly what the family ate after that.”
He pointed out a significant time gap between the reported consumption of mangoes and the onset of symptoms.
“The information available to us is that the mangoes were consumed on Saturday evening. However, the symptoms reportedly started only on Sunday evening. In between, the family would have consumed breakfast, lunch and other food items. We do not know exactly what they ate during that period.”
According to Nagula, one of the major challenges in such cases is that the original food consumed is often no longer available for examination by the time a post-mortem is conducted.
“The first death occurred on Monday, and the second post-mortem was conducted on Tuesday. By then, the patient had been hospitalised, and digestion had already taken place. We did not find food contents that would allow us to identify exactly what had been consumed.”
He explained that forensic toxicology focuses on identifying harmful substances that may have caused death rather than directly linking a death to a specific food item.
“If food poisoning occurs, the food may release toxins or poisonous substances that affect the body. Through toxicological analysis, we may be able to identify the toxin or poisonous substance responsible. What we can say from a forensic perspective is whether a particular toxin caused the death. What we cannot determine from the post-mortem alone is which specific food item introduced that toxin into the body.”
Establishing that link, he said, would require a broader investigation involving food samples, environmental evidence and laboratory testing.
“For that, investigators need to collect food samples, remnants of meals and other relevant evidence from the scene. Those samples must then be tested by the concerned authorities. It is a multifactorial investigation. The post-mortem is only one component.”
Nagula stressed that conclusions should not be drawn until all scientific reports are available.
“From the post-mortem point of view, I did not find any significant findings on gross examination. I am waiting for the laboratory reports. Until those reports arrive, the final opinion remains pending.”
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What has further complicated the case is that investigators are reportedly looking beyond ordinary food contamination.
“As far as our information is concerned, it is not because of eating food,” Laxmikanth said, adding, “There is a suspicion of intentional poisoning and all. Some suspicions are there. That has to be found out in the police inquiry.”
He stressed that determining whether poisoning occurred, and if so what substance was involved, would require forensic evidence. “So in case if it is a poisoning and since it is a suspected poisoning, it has to be found out as to what led to that poisoning. That can be found out only with the post-mortem reports.”
According to him, doctors are also awaiting laboratory findings to understand what may have caused the illnesses.
Despite the widespread attention on mangoes, Laxmikanth said the Food Safety Department’s preliminary inquiry has not found evidence supporting that conclusion.
“Preliminarily, out of our inquiry, we can say that it is not because of mangoes,” he said.
He noted that if spoiled fruit alone were responsible, the symptoms would typically be limited. “Even if it is a mango, if it is spoiled to such an extent, it would only result in diarrhoea.”
The presence of severe illness and reports of multiple organ complications among surviving family members have prompted authorities to continue investigating other possibilities.
The Hyderabad incident has drawn comparisons with another case that made national headlines earlier this year. In Mumbai, four members of the Dokadia family died after consuming watermelon.
Initially, speculation centred on contaminated fruit. Months later, forensic tests revealed zinc phosphide, a highly toxic rat poison, in both the victims’ internal organs and the watermelon they had consumed.
Even after establishing the poison involved, investigators continued probing a crucial question: how did the toxin enter the fruit?
Police explored multiple possibilities, including accidental contamination, suicide and homicide.
The case demonstrated how early assumptions about food-related deaths can change dramatically once forensic evidence becomes available.
For now, Hyderabad police are taking a similarly cautious approach.
Officials have stated to South First that the cause of the illnesses and deaths has not yet been determined. Investigators are awaiting PME reports, toxicology findings and other forensic evidence before arriving at any conclusion.
Whether the sisters died due to food poisoning, chemical contamination, intentional poisoning, an underlying medical condition or some other factor remains unknown.
What is known is that two children are dead, several family members fell seriously ill, and an investigation is underway. Everything else remains a matter for the forensic reports.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
