Mohali, Feb. 19 -- When Sunny Enclave resident Rachna Kapoor lovingly prepared panjiri - a traditional, nutrient-dense sweet believed to aid post-partum recovery - for her daughter in Germany, little did she know that it would leave several family members, including her daughter and her newborn, critically ill. Kapoor, the widow of an Indian Air Force officer who runs a sanitary napkin manufacturing business and serves as a director for a firm named Global Vision Network, has alleged that one of her employees mixed thallium, a highly toxic heavy metal, into the sweet. According to Kapoor, the employee had approached her for work in July 2021 and gradually gained her trust. She said she had even entrusted him with company-related responsibilities and allowed him to stay on the upper floor of her house. On December 7, 2025, a day before leaving for Germany to be with her daughter, Ranjita Batra, for childbirth, Kapoor prepared panjiri and packed it into three containers and a plastic bag. The employee allegedly assisted her in both the preparation and packaging. Kapoor left for Germany on December 8 and reached the next day. She said she gave some panjiri to her daughter while consuming some of it herself. On January 1, 2026, after her daughter delivered a baby, Kapoor opened another container and served the sweet to family members, including her son-in-law Shubham Batra, daughter's mother-in-law Kamna Batra, sister-in-law Baljeet Kaur Batra, and brother-in-law Akshay Batra. Kapoor said she too consumed it. In the days that followed, several family members developed health complications. Kapoor stated that her daughter's condition worsened on January 3. Around the same time, her daughter's mother-in-law experienced severe body pain and was hospitalised in Germany. After initial treatment there, she returned to India and was admitted to a private hospital in Delhi, where medical tests reportedly detected thallium in her blood. Following this, Kapoor, her daughter, and the newborn were tested in Germany. Kapoor alleged that thallium was detected in their blood as well. She further claimed that her granddaughter, who was breastfed only for a day, was also affected. Kapoor told police she remained in regular contact with the employee regarding company matters during this period. However, upon returning to India on January 17 for medical treatment, she found that he had vacated her house and switched off his phone, raising suspicion. Kapoor remains on medication, while her daughter is reportedly on ventilator support. The newborn is also under observation. After examining Kapoor's statement and the medical reports, police registered a case against an unidentified person under Section 123 (causing hurt by means of poison) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Kharar deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Karan Sandhu said, "We have registered an FIR against unknown people and further investigation is on."...