Five of family found unconscious in their Alibaug home

Five members of a family, including two children, were found in an unconscious state in their Alibaug home Wednesday morning.

Alibaug police identified them as Akshi village residents Ramchandra Patil (60), his wife Ranjana Patil (55), their daughter-in-law Kavita Patil (25) and her children Swaraj(2) and Swarali (2). “Patil was an autorickshaw driver. Their son stays in Kalwa, Thane. The family was out till late night, as there was no electricity,” said an officer. The neighbours called the police after they forced open the door on Wednesday morning. “The family generally wakes up by 6 am. However, when till late afternoon there was no movement or sound from inside the house, we broke open the door to find the adults and one child unconscious,” said a neighbour, Sunita Patil.

“We found a soft drink bottle, which prima-facie, has traces of some chemical. We have sent it for forensic test,” the officer added. “It seems to be a case of (attempted) suicide as the family appeared to have drank the cold drink. We have not yet found a note and are investigating why they drank it,” he added.

According to the neighbours, the family didn’t show any sign of being disturbed. “They were out, like all of us, till late into the night. Around midnight, I went to sleep, as did many others,” Sunita Patil said.

“We have not yet registered a case, but are in the process of investigating. One of the children is serious, along with Kavita, and they have been sent to hospitals. The others are stable, and we are waiting for one of them to gain consciousness to investigate,” a senior officer said.