Medical experts say exercise could still yield crucial leads
MAPUSA
More than a week after a 21-year-old Indore youth died inside a Vagator nightclub, Anjuna Police have collected blood samples of seven friends who were with him that night, as police work to reconstruct the events leading to what is now confirmed as a fatal multi-drug overdose.
A police team travelled to Indore on Sunday and with the assistance of local authorities, escorted the seven friends to MY Hospital, a government-run multi-speciality facility in Indore, where their blood samples were drawn.
Since the move comes over a week after the incident, it has raised questions over the evidentiary value of delayed toxicology testing.
Medical experts, however, say the exercise could still yield crucial leads.
“Certain substances metabolise within a day and may not be detected after a week, but others can remain in the bloodstream for weeks or even months,” a doctor from the medical fraternity said, adding that residual traces could help establish patterns of drug use.
The development follows preliminary medical findings that have confirmed the youth, identified as Ishan Badgujar from Madhya Pradesh, died after consuming a lethal mix of multiple substances.
A rapid bedside toxicology screening conducted shortly after he was brought to the Goa Medical College and Hospital revealed the presence of six psychoactive substances – amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), cannabis, benzodiazepines and alcohol – all beyond permissible levels.
A senior police official informed that the sampling of the deceased’s friends is a critical step in advancing the probe.
“We need their cooperation to take the case to its logical conclusion. We are doing our best,” the police officer said.
The friends, in their initial statements, had denied consuming drugs and claimed that the deceased had also not taken any substances – a version now contradicted by the toxicology findings.
Sources said the behaviour of the group on the night of the incident is also under scrutiny.
When the youth’s condition worsened inside the nightclub, some of the friends allegedly panicked and attempted to leave the scene. It was only after intervention and advice from locals that they decided to stay back and cooperate with authorities.
Officials are now awaiting detailed laboratory reports, which are expected to corroborate the preliminary findings and provide further clarity on the quantities and combinations of substances consumed.
