Three individuals, including a woman, were discovered deceased in a room at New Shillong Township on Sunday evening, as stated by the police on Monday. Authorities suspect that the cause of death for all three was mushroom poisoning.
The deceased individuals were employees of the Institute of Science and Bio Resource (ISBR) and were found in a room within the institute building under construction in Umsawli. The victims were identified as Backstar Kharkrang (30), a security guard, and two cleaners, Sheba Kharbani (40) and Rupert Donbor Dohtdong (43). They resided in Mawlai Phudmuri, the capital city.
According to the police, the discovery of the bodies was prompted by a report of a foul odor emanating from the room. The crime scene unit, along with the forensic team, examined the area, and the bodies were subsequently transferred to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences for post-mortem examination.
Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem of East Khasi Hills (City) stated that foul play was ruled out after the preliminary autopsy report was received on Monday. He mentioned, “Today, the postmortem was conducted, revealing that the three individuals died from mushroom poisoning. They had collected some wild mushrooms from the nearby forest, cooked and consumed them on Thursday, which was the last time their colleagues saw them.”
An officer added that incidents of mushroom poisoning are not uncommon in Meghalaya, especially in urban areas where people may lack the knowledge to identify poisonous mushrooms.
