Delhi belly in Mumbai: 5 fall ill after eating lizard-laced palak paneer

Five members of a family, including two children, have fallen terribly sick after they found a dead lizard in the palak paneer they were eating for lunch on Wednesday.

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The two children aged four and one were admitted to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital along with the other people. However, their conditions are stable right now.

The five victims, Khondobai Bansode, 59, Surekha Salvi, 27, Dilip More, 35, Samayak Bansode and the two children are all residents of Poisar, Kandivali East.

"Our father passed away on August 7, and all the relatives were present at our home today. My sister Surekha and sister-in-law Asmita cooked lunch. My mother (Khondobai), Surekha and my cousin brother Dilip sat to eat first, along with my son Samayak and nephew Vivan," Rajendra Bansode, father of four-year-old Samayak, was quoted as saying by Mid-Day.

"While they were eating, Surekha noticed something on her plate. When she picked it up, we were shocked to see it was a lizard. Suddenly, all five of them started vomiting," added Rajendra.

"The children were hungry, so we made palak paneer. I had finished half a chapati when I saw the lizard," said Surekha.

Dr Pradeep Angre, dean of Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital said, "All of them are admitted to the hospital and they are under observation. They are all out of danger."

While finding lizards and snakes in food served in trains and mid-day meals have often made the headlines, this was the first time when a lizard was found in food cooked at home.

On July 25, a passenger travelling in Poorva Express found a dead lizard in a vegetable biriyani that he had ordered in the train. The man found the reptile after he had had a few bites of the meal.

However, he did not fall ill and was given medication, when the train reached Danapur railway station in Bihar.