Doctors cite 'severe malnutrition' as reason for deaths of 3 minor girls: Police

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Doctors have cited "severe malnutrition" as the reason behind the deaths of three minor girls in Mandawali in July this year, police sources said on Thursday.

The family, hailing from West Bengal, was reportedly facing financial woes, and the doctors suspected that the three girls did not have food for days.

The girls, aged eight, four and two years, were brought to a hospital by their mother and their father's friend where they were declared brought dead. The father of the three girls has been missing since the incident, and police are on the lookout for him.

The Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, had submitted the viscera report to the Delhi Police which stated that "no external toxins" were found in the girls' bodies, thus ruling out any foul play in their deaths, the sources said.

The FSL had also examined some medicines used to treat skin infection and some food items that were collected from the house where the girls were staying, but there were no toxins found in the collected items, they added.

"The forensic report said no external toxins were found in the viscera of the three girls. Some undigested food was examined, and it did not have any external toxins. The report was sent to the GTB Hospital for a final opinion," said an official privy to the development.

The GTB Hospital, in its final opinion, cited "severe malnutrition" as the cause of death.

Police said they are looking for the father of the girls and despite their efforts, which included sending teams to his native village in West Bengal and neighbouring areas of Delhi ,there was no clue about his whereabouts.

They said inquest proceedings are underway in the matter.

A Delhi government magisterial probe report in July had sought "deeper investigation" into the conduct of the father of three girls, and had said he had given them some "unknown medicine".

The report had said that the father, Mangal Singh, gave some "unknown medicine" to his daughters by "mixing it in hot water" during the night of July 23, and he has not returned since the morning of July 24.

The conduct of the man "raises an element of doubt in the matter and requires further investigation", it had said.

The report had also said that the "nutritional condition of the deceased children was not quite well" although they were getting "some food items regularly".