Chandrapur: 6 of family ‘poisoned to death by generator exhaust’

Ramesh’s wife Dasu (40) is still unconscious and fighting for her life in a goverment hospital.

Police Inspector Swapnil Dhule said, “The neighbours of the Lashkare family noticed that their house was being filled up with generator exhaust. They broke open the door…and moved the family members to a private hospital, where the doctor pronounced all except Dasu dead,” adding, “They all died of suffocation caused by carbon dioxide emanating from the generator.”

The Lashkares had put on the generator as there was a power outage in the locality on Monday night, according to Dhule. He added that Ramesh was stuck in bathroom and died there. “He may have tried to open the door but couldn’t,” Dhule said.

The police have ruled out sabotage. “Post-mortem report is yet to come. We have also sent viscera for forensic test,” said Dhule.

Vishwas Zade, the doctor who checked them, told The Indian Express, “Six of them were brought dead to my hospital. Clinically, they were found to have died of poisoning. If the poisoning was caused by the generator exhaust is for the government authorities to find out.”

Ramesh Lashkare was a contractor, police said. “What kind of contracts he was executing is not yet known,” Dhule said.