Man mixes poison in food prepared for guests after niece marries without his nod

Kolhapur: A man allegedly gate-crashed his niece's wedding reception in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district and mixed poison in the food prepared for guests as he was against her marriage, police said on Wednesday.

No person, however, consumed that food and its samples have been sent for testing, they said, adding that the accused was absconding.

The incident took place in Utre village under Panhala tehsil on Tuesday afternoon following which some people caught hold of the accused, but he managed to run away, they said.

The Panhala police have registered a case against the man, identified as Mahesh Patil, resident of Utre village and maternal uncle of the woman, on charges of endangering the lives of people, Panhala police station's sub-inspector Mahesh Kondubhairi said.

The woman had been brought up at the accused's house, according to police.

"She recently eloped with a man in the village and got married to him. Since, it was not acceptable to Patil, he gate-crashed the wedding reception ceremony at a marriage hall on Tuesday and mixed a poisonous substance in the food items which were being prepared for the guests," Kondubhairi said.

While the man was mixing the poisonous substance in the food, people around him tried to stop him and overpowered him, the official said.

"He then fled from the spot. We have registered an offence against him under sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance), 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)," the official said.

"Efforts are on to nab him," he said.

No one consumed the food in which the poisonous substance was mixed and its samples have been sent to a forensic lab, the police added.