02 November,2015 06:35 AM IST | | Chaitraly Deshmukh
They ignored advice and entered the home hours after pest control was carried out; breathing toxic fumes proved lethal
It was Dhawal who rushed Mandira to a private hospital and informed one of his friends about the mishap
Pune: Two friends lost their lives after accidentally inhaling toxic fumes from pest control. The deceased were identified as Dhawal Lagadiya (24), a resident of Yamunanagar in Nigdi and his friend Mandira Chaudhari (26), a resident of CRPF in Talegaon. The Nigdi police have filed an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in this matter.
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It was Dhawal who rushed Mandira to a private hospital and informed one of his friends about the mishap
Inspector S B Naikpatil, in-charge of Nigdi police station, said, "Prima facie, it appears that the duo succumbed to the toxic fumes they inhaled at Dhawal's house, where pest control was carried out as part of pre-Diwali preparations on Saturday morning. The two worked for the same firm and had known each other for the last two months. We do not think it's a suicide or foul play. But, their viscera will be preserved until we reach a final conclusion."
Explaining the cause of death, API Madhukar Thorat from Nigdi police station stated that pest control was done at the apartment around 11 am, following which the family went to meet one of their relatives. The workers who executed the pest control job, had clearly told the family to keep the house shut for 12 hours for the pesticide to take the desired effect. However, they added that in case the family wanted to move into the apartment early, then they must keep all the doors and windows open and switch on the fan for the toxic fumes to exit.
"Despite knowing this, Dhawal entered the house with Mandira around 5.30 pm and kept the door and windows shut. After 30 minutes, both started facing breathing issues and started vomiting. It was Dhawal who rushed Mandira to a nearby private hospital and also informed one of his friends. The duo was kept under observation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
While Dhawal breathed his last around 8.30 pm on Saturday, Mandira died around 6 am on Sunday," added Thorat.
During questioning, Dhawal's family members told the cops that none of them knew who Mandira was because he had never mentioned her to any of them. Mandira's brother claimed her body as her father was out of town.
