ERODE: One woman died while her husband and two others were battling for lives after they consumed a ‘country drug’ for Covid-19 near Chennimalai in Erode district on Saturday.
Police said an unidentified person had visited the house of 70-year-old Karuppanna Gounder at Perumalmalai area in Karungoundanvalasu village on Saturday morning to test the family members for Covid-19.
Superintendent of police V Sasimohan said the person had given them some tablets saying that it was a ‘nattu marundhu’ (country drug) that would help them keep the virus at bay.
Karuppanna, his 55-year-old wife K Mallika, daughter Deepa, 30, and maid Kuppammal, 65, consumed the tablets.
“Within a few minutes, they started vomiting and swooned on the floor.
Neighbours rushed them to the government hospital in Erode.
Mallika, however, died on the way,” the SP said.
Karuppanna and his daughter were later shifted to a private hospital in Coimbatore.
Maid Kuppammal has been referred to the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital.
The SP said Karuppanna and Deepa were out of danger, while Kuppammal’s condition was critical.
“The father-daughter duo are still in the intensive care unit.” The SP said four teams led by deputy superintendent of police (Perundurai division) V Selvaraj have been formed to nab the accused.
“The preliminary inquiry hasn’t shed any light into the incident.
Efforts are on to nab the accused at the earliest.” The SP said the exact reason behind their death could be ascertained only after postmortem.
“We don’t know about the medicine and the same could be ascertained only after the viscera test.” The Chennimalai police have registered a case and further investigations are on.