RAWALPINDI, Nov 4: A seemingly harmless gesture of thanks giving over the birth of a baby boy cost heavily to the joyous but star-crossed family as well as devotees visiting a shrine on Adiala Road when 18 women and two children fainted after tasting milk and confectionery distributed as an offering following the happy event.
According to Sub-inspector Mian Imran, who is leading investigations into the incident which sparked panic and fear among the devotees, the victims have been shifted to different hospitals and health centres in Rawalpindi. He said all of them, except for two, were in stable condition.
However, the police have taken into custody for questioning a woman and her daughter along with their two male companions for distributing milk and sweets which made the unsuspecting visitors faint.
The investigation officer said it would be premature to conclude at this stage whether the women fainted after drinking unhygienic milk or was it a plot to kill people. He said things would become clear after the medical examiner finalised report.
As many as 100 devotees, hailing from different parts of Punjab, were visiting the Dayvil Sharif shrine on Adiala Road when the incident took place. There were separate arrangements for male and female visitors.
Preliminary investigation suggested that among the visitors was one family from Lahore who had come to the shrine to offer milk and confectionery to pilgrims as a gesture to pay their gratitude to God after they were blessed with a baby boy.
One of the male devotees attending the victims at the DHQ Hospital said the women visitors were the first to be served with milk and confectionery.
Within minutes of drinking the milk, the women, aged between 20 and 40, started falling unconscious, which created panic. The women serving the milk and sweets were overpowered by other female devotees and handed over to the Adiala Chowki police along with their two male companions.
“As many as 10 fainted women have been brought to the DHQ Hospital so far and more are likely to come.
They are stable,” the causality medical officer of the hospital said.
The two affected children, identified as Mohammad Ali, 4, and Mohammad Noman, 9, were taken to the Rawalpindi General Hospital where they are said to be in stable condition.
