Bengaluru: What began as a celebration turned into tragedy — and for months, a slice of cake was wrongly blamed. A final investigation has now confirmed that the death of five-year-old Dheeraj B in Oct 2024 was caused by food poisoning from leftover Vangibath, a brinjal rice dish his family had stored in the fridge for two days, and not from the cake the family had initially suspected.Dheeraj, a resident of Bhuvaneshwarinagar in Kempapura Agrahara, fell seriously ill after consuming the rice, which had developed bacteria and fungus due to improper storage. His parents, Balaraj (40), a food delivery worker, and Nagalakshmi (30), a homemaker, were also sick after eating it, but recovered following treatment.According to police, in the initial panic, the family assumed the cake, which Balaraj brought home after an order he received for delivery was cancelled, was the source of contamination. However, a detailed investigation and medical analysis have now established that the rice was to blame.A final opinion from department of forensic medicine & toxicology at KIMS Hospital and Research Centre revealed high levels of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, types of bacteria, including a multi-drug-resistant strain, and Sphingomonas paucimobilis (bacterium), in the boy’s blood and peritoneal fluid (a lubricating liquid in the abdominal cavity). A senior investigating officer confirmed the cake had been ruled out as a cause. “The reports were clear — there was no fault with the cake. The spoiled vangibath was the cause. It had been refrigerated for at least two days and had rotten. The parents couldn’t tell it was stale and fed it to the child.”A case of unnatural death had been registered at KP Agrahara police station after the incident. Police said the final report will be submitted to the court soon.