‘Ate just one date a day’: Goa brothers’ mysterious deaths linked to extreme ‘fasting’

A day two brothers, aged 29 and 27, were mysteriously found deadat their residence in Goa, police officials stated thatinitial investigations indicate that they dieddue to extreme starvation. Their mother was also found unconscious in the same residence premises.

As per law enforcement officials, the family had been subsisting on just one date per day for several days. The father of the brothers, a garment salesman, had been residing separately from his wife and sons for some time due to disagreements regarding their "fasting" practices, as per police reports.

The two deceased individuals were named Mohammad Zuber Khan, aged 29, who worked as an engineer, and his younger brother Aafan Khan, aged 27. Their mother, Rukhsana Khan, is currently receiving medical care at a government hospital and will be transferred to the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) at Goa Medical College for a mental health evaluation.

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On Wednesday, their father, Nazir Khan, went to their home in Aquem, Margao, but received no response when he knocked on the door. He then contacted the police.

“The house was locked from inside. In one room, the younger son was found dead. The elder son was found dead on the floor in an adjacent room and his mother was found unconscious on a bed,” an officer said, as cited by the Indian Express.

The police mentioned that earlier in the week, Nazir had tried to visit the house, but his wife and sons didn't let him inside.

Akbar Khan, the paternal uncle of the brothers, mentioned that his nephews and their mother had been confined to their house for several months and had become isolated from everyone.

Akbar explained that Nazir had relocated to another residence in Margao due to frequent conflicts with his wife and sons, particularly concerning their "fasting" and irregular eating habits.

The brothers had spent most of their childhood at their maternal home in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, according to family members.

Akbar stated that Zuber had been employed as an engineer in Sawantwadi, Sindhudurg, while Aafan had completed his B.Com degree. Zuber was married and had two children, but later, both brothers and their parents moved to Margao, where they remained unemployed, as per their uncle.

Relatives mentioned that Zuber's wife and children did not accompany him to Margao.

The police mentioned that family members informed them that Zuber, Aafan, and Rukhsana were only consuming one date per day.

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“Nazir used to drop some money for groceries through a small keyhole into the house, but in the past few weeks, the family had shut that keyhole. They had also placed some furniture next to the main door of the house to restrain people from entering,” an officer said, as reported by the Indian Express.

(With inputs from agencies)