Three minor sisters died under mysterious circumstances after falling ill following a meal in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, prompting a police probe after two of the deaths went unreported until the third child died at a hospital, an official said on Friday.
The girls, aged 10, eight and six, died between August 25 and 26 after consuming food at their home near Betma town on August 23, Betma police station house officer Ranjit Singh Baghel said.
After two of the girls died, the parents were transporting the bodies to their native village in Chhattisgarh for the last rites, when their third daughter also fell ill, he said.
The child was admitted to a hospital in Itarsi, where she too succumbed, the official said.
He said that the deaths came to light when the hospital authorities informed the police, and a post-mortem was conducted.
The girls' father is a native of Chhattisgarh and works for a private company near Betma, he said.
All three girls fell ill after having food on August 23; two of them died, but their parents did not inform the police, Baghel said.
Police have collected samples of flour, other food items and drinking water from the family's house and sent them for testing, he said, adding that the viscera of the three girls have also been sent for forensic examination.
"The exact cause of death will be known once the post-mortem, viscera and other laboratory reports are received," the SHO said, adding that the police are probing all possible angles.
(With inputs from PTI)
