Mumbai (PTI): The rupee declined 16 paise to 86.88 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday amid a strengthening greenback, sustained FII outflows, and a rise in Brent crude prices.
A rebound in the domestic equity markets prevented further fall in the domestic unit, according to forex traders.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the local unit opened at 86.83, before sliding further to 86.88, down 16 paise from Monday's close of 86.72.
"The rupee was again sold off on Monday as month-end dollar demand kept rupee lower from a high of 86.56 to 86.75. Due to risk of sentiments, the market is expected to buy dollars to take it higher against the rupee," Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.
Meanwhile, the domestic equity markets rebounded on Tuesday with the 30-share BSE Sensex rising 117.57 points to 74,571.98 in early trade, while Nifty was up 31.3 points to 22,584.65.
The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.03 per cent to 106.62.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, went up 0.51 per cent to 75.16 per barrel in futures trade.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 6,286.70 crore on a net basis on Monday, according to exchange data.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mumbai (PTI): The initial report submitted by the microbiology department of a Mumbai-based state-run hospital has said no "bacterial infection" was detected in the bodies of four family members, who died after consuming watermelon recently, officials said on Wednesday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am (on April 26), hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
After the incident, Mumbai police, forensic experts and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials visited the house and had collected samples of every food item that constituted the family's last meal, including 'chicken pulav', watermelon, water, and other foodstuffs, and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.
After the post-mortem of the deceased, their viscera was preserved for chemical analysis.
As the probe is underway, the microbiology department of the state-run J J Hospital has submitted its initial report to the police.
"As per the report, no bacterial infection has been detected so far in the bodies of the victims. No bacteria was found in their blood," the official said.
The exact cause of the death will be known once the forensic science lab submits its report, he said.
"The report will also clarify whether any food items consumed by the family members during the day contained anything poisonous," the official said.
