Four students of Dhaka University's (DU) Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall fell ill after eating sweets left by an unknown woman. The Provost of the hall, Professor Dr. Salma Nasrin, confirmed the matter on Monday morning.
The incident happened on Sunday night (at around 10:30 pm) on the ninth floor of the hall's Pratyay Bhaban.
Professor Salma Nasrin said, "Students informed me after the incident. I was present at the hall that night. CCTV footage shows a woman entering at 10:29 pm, leaving the packets, and exiting. Her identity could not be confirmed. Four students were taken to the hospital and are now doing well. The remaining sweets will be sent to BSTI for testing on Monday."
According to the provost and hall sources, at 10:29 pm, a woman placed six packets of sweets along with a handwritten note on a table near the block elevator. Some students took the sweets and consumed those. They, subsequently, felt unwell.
They were later taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where the attending doctors declared them out of danger.
The six packets of sweets and the note were found on a table in the ninth floor's common space around 10:30-11:00 pm. The note claimed the sweets were a sample from a senior alumna named "Rithi" who, along with her husband, had started a dessert business.
Junior students took photos of the packets and shared them in the block's group chat. Residents of multiple rooms distributed the sweets among themselves.
The note left with the sweets read: "Hi residents of 901-906, I am Rithi, a former resident of this block on the ninth floor. By Allah's grace and your prayers, my husband and I have started a small business. We take online orders for sweets, cakes, etc. I tried to contact some of you but received no response. So, here is a small 'gift' from us. Please share your experience with us."
The note included a phone number and the name of a Facebook page. However, when students attempted to call the number, it was switched off. They also found no trace of the Facebook page.
While some found the sweets unusually bitter, others thought they tasted normal and ate them entirely. One student fell seriously ill and was taken to DMCH, while others reported mild irritation in their tongue and throat. Some students suspected the sweets might have been tampered with, although doctors ruled out poisoning after an hour had passed without severe symptoms.
However, the specific targeting of six rooms on a single block raised eyebrows. Some students speculated that the sweets might have been part of a black magic attempt, as such practices involving sweets are not uncommon.
Others pointed out that the handwriting in the note contained mistakes (e.g., "bolk" instead of "block" and "obiggya" instead of "oviggota"), potentially as a deliberate effort to appear trustworthy.
Hall residents expressed a mix of relief and unease, with one commenting, "At least not everyone ate the sweets, and most who did are fine now." Another remarked, "We trusted the note and the mention of our block. That trust is what some people exploit."