Indrani Mukerjea reportedly overdosed in prison, but officials clueless how
What's the story
Indrani Mukerjea, accused of murdering her daughter, fell unconscious Friday night and was rushed from Byculla Jai to JJ Hospital in Mumbai. All doctors who examined her concluded that the symptoms indicate she overdosed on drugs. Final test results are due today. This won't be the first time she has overdosed. But officials are unsure how she could have accessed so many drugs again.
Regime
Mukerjea gets three pills daily under 'direct supervision'
Mukerjea has been taking three pills daily for several months. She has been on amlodipine (anti-hypertensive), aspirin (anti-platelet), and amitriptyline (anti-depressant), confirmed Dr. Wiqar Shaikh, who's been treating her. All three are given to her under 'direct observation,' meaning they are put in her mouth and she isn't allowed to hold them. This routine has been followed after she overdosed on Benzodiazepine in October'15.
Probe
Patch in lungs indicative of overdose
On April 6, around 11:30 pm, she was found unconscious and rushed to JJ. Preliminary investigation indicated fever. X-ray and CT scan showed a patch in her lung indicating aspiration pneumonia, which happens when food/saliva is inhaled into lungs; this hinted at drug overdose. Her blood report hasn't showed anything, Dr. Sanjay Surase said. They are now awaiting reports on urine and stomach samples.
Symptoms
Similar symptoms like the 2015 overdose
"The problem, which she has got in the cerebral area (in the brain) is exactly what we found in October'15, when she was admitted to JJ for drug overdose," Dr Shaikh said. He has ruled out amlodipine, since that would have crashed her blood pressure (it was stable when she was brought in). He has also ruled out aspirin, since that would have caused internal bleeding.
Status
Mukerjea now stable, further treatment to be decided accordingly
Mukerjea is currently stable and conscious and responding to commands, doctors said. She isn't on life support. The next treatment would be decided based on her final reports. She has been lodged in Byculla since 2015, when she was convicted of murdering her daughter Sheena Bora in connivance with her third husband and her driver. The husband, Peter Mukerjea, is also in prison.