Two brothers died due to malnutrition after eating only a date for several days

Family members informed the police that Zuber, Aafan, and Ruksana subsisted on a single date per day

Digital Desk: A day after two brothers, aged 29 and 27, were discovered dead at their Goa home, authorities claimed a preliminary investigation indicated they died from malnutrition, the Indian Express reports. Their mother had also been discovered unconscious in the house.

According to authorities, the family had been eating only one date every day for several days. According to authorities, the brothers' father, a garment salesman, had been living apart from his wife and sons for some time due to arguments over their "fasting.".

According to police sources, the postmortem report indicated that "severe cachexia and malnourishment" were the most likely causes of the brothers' deaths.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Zuber Khan (29), an engineer, and his younger brother, Aafan Khan (27). Their mother, Ruksana Khan, is being treated at a government hospital and will be referred to the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB), Goa Medical College, for a mental health evaluation.

When the brothers' father, Nazir Khan, visited them on Wednesday at their home in Aquem, Margao, there was no answer. Nazir then informed the police.

"The house was secured from within. In one chamber, the younger son was discovered lifeless. Meanwhile, the elder son was found deceased on the floor of an adjoining room, with his mother unconscious upon a bed," relayed an officer, emphasizing the absence of sustenance or hydration within the premises and noting the desiccated state of the bodies.

Police disclosed that Nazir had attempted a visit earlier in the week, only to be denied entry by his wife and sons.

Frequent discord with his wife and sons, particularly regarding dietary habits, prompted Nazir to relocate to another residence in Margao, according to Akhbar.

Zuber, employed as an engineer in Sawantwadi, Sindhudurg, and Aafan, a B.Com. graduate, relocated with their parents to Margao, where they remained jobless, as per their uncle.

Zuber's family opted to stay behind in Sawantwadi.

"The bond between the brothers and their mother was strong... Why would they voluntarily cease eating? Financially, they were sound. It's perplexing whether they were under duress or grappling with mental health issues," pondered Akhbar.

Family members informed the police that Zuber, Aafan, and Ruksana subsisted on a single date per day.