Gujarat: Contaminated cough syrup under scanner after five die in two days in twin Kheda villages

DGP Gujarat, Vikas Sahay said that three of the deaths were linked to the cough syrup while two others were under investigation.

Kheda: In an alarming development, five people have died in two days in twin villages of Gujarat's Kheda district with police attributing three deaths to an Ayurvedic cough syrup. Police said that the other two deaths were under investigation. Police have also arrested the seller of the Ayurvedic syrup. Sources said that that five deaths have been reported from Bilodara and Bagdu villages of Kheda district.

Divulging further details into the incident, Director General of Police Gujarat, Vikas Sahay said that out of the five deceased, three died due to drinking Ayurvedic syrup, while the deaths of two others are under investigation. The DGP said that the deaths in Kheda are being investigated by Kheda SP and Gandhi Ahmedabad Range IG, and preliminary investigation suggests that three youths drank Ayurvedic Cup syrup and died due to it.

A person selling cough syrup in the rural area of Bilodara Kheda has been arrested and is being interrogated, the DGP said. Two more people have also been detained for investigation in that regard. DGP Vikas Sahay further said that the accused have sold this cough syrup to more than 55 people which has further alerted the police.

He said that the police is trying to identify the buyers in order to save precious lives. Sources said that the Ayurvedic cough syrup under question was being sold by a person named Kishore. Reports said that the suspected cough syrup which is being linked to the five deaths was being sold by the accused as 'Kalmeghasav - Asava Arishta' in Bilodara village near Nadiad town of Kheda district.

It is suspected that the contaminated cough syrup contained methyl alcohol which led to the death of the consumers.