Page 13 - IAV Digital Magazine #453

Woman Allegedly Poisons Guests At Feast, Says She Was Tortured Over Her Complexion And Cooking
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
A 23-year-old woman was arrested on Friday for allegedly poison- ing food served at a feast hosted by a relative that resulted in the deaths of five guests. Her intent, police said, was to kill her husband and in- laws, who she claimed victim- ized her over her complexion and cooking.
Police said 23- year-old Pradnya Survase of Khalapur, about 70 km from Mumbai, con- fessed to mixing a powder used to kill snakes in the dal that was served to some of the guests at a feast hosted by her relative Subhas Mane in Mahad on Monday.
“Pradnya claims that since her marriage two years ago, she has been insulted regularly for her dark complexion and accused of not being able to cook well,” said
Vishwajeet Kaingade, senior inspector of Khalapur police station.
“She has named her mother in-law, Sindhu Survase, husband Suresh Govind Survase, sisters in-law Ujwala Pawar
and Jyoti Ashok Kadam, and her mother in-law’s sister Sarita
Mane and Sarita’s husband, Subhash Mane for the alleged torture,” the offi- cer said.
Vilash Thikrey, 13, who survived
the poisoning, said on Monday he remembered the dal tasting “bitter”.
Survase , who is divorced from her first husband, believes her first marriage broke down because another relative, Ulka Shinde, had “cast aspersions on her character”, said police. She alleged Shinde was damaging her second mar- riage also.
“She (Shinde) had been taunting her (Survase’s) mother in-law for
bringing Pradnya into the family. This too had led to problems in Pradnya’s mar- ried life,” said Kaingade.
On Monday, Mane had invited more than 120 people to a house-warming in Mahad. Shinde and her family were among the guests. The puja was followed by a meal cooked on site by a village maharaj (cook). Food was served from 2:30pm to 11:30pm.
Guests who ate in
the later batches started complain- ing of nausea, vomiting and stomach ache a few hours later. About 88 people were hospitalised. Three children, including Shinde’s son Rishikesh, died. On Thursday, 11- year-old Vijay Shinde (not relat- ed to Ulka Shinde), and 53- year-old Gopinath Nakure died in separate hospi- tals.
“She (Shinde) had been taunting her (Survase’s) mother in-law for
bringing Pradnya into the family. This too had led to problems in Pradnya’s mar- ried life,” said Kaingade.
On Monday, Mane had invited more than 120 people to a house-warming in Mahad. Shinde and her family were among the guests. The puja was followed by a meal cooked on site by a village maharaj (cook). Food was served from 2:30pm to 11:30pm.
Guests who ate in the later batches started complain- ing of nausea, vomiting and stomach ache a few hours later. About 88 people were hospitalised. Three children, including Shinde’s son Rishikesh, died. On Thursday, 11- year-old Vijay Shinde (not relat- ed to Ulka Shinde), and 53- year-old Gopinath Nakure died in separate hospi- tals.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine