Girl dies after three of family found unconscious at home

A one-and-a-half-year old girl died after she and her family members were found unconscious at a flat in the capital's Badda early hours yesterday.

The infant, Aria, was declared dead after being taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH); her mother Sahana Begum, 28, and sister Agomoni, 4, were undergoing treatment there, said police and hospital sources.

Police suspected they might have been poisoned through foods.

They were also investigating whether the mother had poisoned herself and the daughters or if there was any familial dispute, said Abdul Jalil, officer-in-charge of Badda Police Station.

Relatives said Amzad Hossain, father of the infants, went missing from a local hospital after rushing Sahana and their two daughters there.

On information police reached the hospital and later took them to DMCH, said the OC, adding, important information can be revealed once they quiz the father.

The family has been living in the flat on the third-floor of a five-storey building for about four years, said neighbours.

Neighbour Adil Mahmud Selim said Amzad returned home around 1:00am. As no one was opening the door even after repeated knocks and phone calls, he with the help of the neighbours broke open the door and found his wife and daughters lying unconscious.

On Saturday, he had a quarrel over taking Sahana for shopping, Selim quoted Amzad as saying. Later Amzad, a private jobholder, headed for Rajshahi for official purpose and had to return home as he failed to reach Sahana over the phone, added Selim.

Sources at Dhaka Medical College morgue, where the autopsy was conducted yesterday, said they collected viscera for test to learn whether the girl was poisoned.