Nadiad (Gujarat): Gujarat Police arrested, three, including two grocers, days after five persons died due to suspected consumption of an Ayurvedic syrup containing methanol sold by their shop in Gujarat's Kheda district.
Two others, who had supplied the Ayurvedic syrup, are on the run and yet to be arrested.
The shop had sold bottles of the syrup to at least 50 persons, as per the preliminary investigation, according to Press Trust of India.
A five-member special investigation team (SIT) led by Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nadiad, was formed to investigate the case, PTI quoted Kheda district Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Gadhiya as saying.
"We have arrested Kishor Sodha and his brother Ishwar Sodha, the owners of the grocery store which sold the suspected syrup to the victims. When the two was questioned, they identified one Yogesh Sindhi as the person who supplied them with the syrup. All three were arrested yesterday i.e. Friday December 01, 2023," SP Rajesh Gadhiya told reporters.
Yogesh Sindhi later revealed the names of Nitin Kotwani and Bhavesh Shevkani from whom he had procured bottles of the syrup before Diwali. The two, who hail from Vadodara city, are wanted in this connection, he said.
SP Rajesh Gadhiya said since the syrup bottles bore duplicate labels of manufacturers and marketers to mislead the people, police have added a section pertaining to forgery under the Indian Penal Code to the FIR.
An FIR (First Information Report) was registered at Nadiad rural police station on Friday evening on the charges of culpable homicide, poisoning, and forgery among others after five persons died in Bilodara and Bagdu villages on November 28 and 29.
Those dead were suspected to have consumed 'Kalmeghasav - Asavarishta', sold over the counter, to nearly 50 people by the grocery shop owned by the Sodha brothers from Bilodara village near Nadiad.
According to officials, such medicinal syrups are sometimes misused by alcohol addicts in the 'dry' state of Gujarat.
"While five persons died after consuming the syrup, two others are undergoing treatment at the civil hospital in Ahmedabad. Another person who was treated at a private hospital for two days was shifted to Nadiad Civil Hospital on Friday evening," Rajesh Gadhiya said.
"Shop owner Kishan Sodha allegedly admitted that he had sold syrup bottles to nearly 50 persons last week. He bought them for ₹ 100 apiece and sold them for ₹ 130," he added.
A Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has said 'Asavas' and 'Arishtams' are fermented Ayurvedic mixtures which contain less than 12 per cent self-generated alcohol.
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